


Trapped In A Nightmare

by LiinHaglund



Category: Weiß Kreuz
Genre: Aliens, Alternate Universe, Canon-Typical Violence, Demonic Possession, Enemies to Lovers, Explicit Language, Explicit Sexual Content, Ghosts, Hidden Talents, Light Dom/sub, M/M, Manipulation, Mental Health Issues, Out of Character, Psychic Abilities, Secret Organizations, Secrets, Supernatural Elements
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-04-12
Updated: 2016-03-28
Packaged: 2018-03-22 14:11:30
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 25
Words: 34,582
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3731827
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LiinHaglund/pseuds/LiinHaglund
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Abyssinian ends up trapped in a basement. No one comes for him, not until someone he knows stumbles upon him by accident.</p><p>Meanwhile, something is wrong in Tokyo and Kritiker can't handle it.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Gone, Like A Ghost

His hair was growing out longer than usual, but Youji ignored how it got in his face while he quickly gathered his gear in order to join his team on the investigation.

He spooked when he saw a shadow move and hurried up. There had been a lot of _that_ lately, a lot of shadows following him around. They were trying to make him go somewhere, but Youji was too wary of ghosts to actually trust them.

The only ghost he would trust was Asuka's – and she had tried to kill him.

So no.

He had thought he was the only one who could see them when they first showed up, but he had seen Aya flinch too a few times, and the members of Schwarz reacted to them as well. So perhaps Youji was just sensitive to it? Or perhaps they wanted him to see?

The rest of Kritiker didn't believe him, including Omi. He just wanted to get Aya back so that he would have someone in his corner again. Aya always believed what Youji said until evidence proving the contrary showed up. He was a good friend, even if his social skills often left something to be desired in the form of tact.

It was a long drive this time. When he got there the ghosts got more and more excited, so he broke away from the others to see if there was any reason for it. He recognized the area. This was where he had last seen Aya. Youji followed them to a basement, but all he found were empty rooms. One of them had a broken lock on the door and held a great number of shadow-things, but otherwise the place seemed devoid of life.

Youji left quickly, not keen on staying where there was that kind of a gathering.

He had no interest in finding out if they were malicious.

 

 


	2. Gone, Like A Ghost

The bed was comfortable and warm. He had been given drugs so that he could relax enough to sleep, and so the long time it took to wake up was probably their fault. As was likely the groggy feeling and the way his eyelids felt like lead. Still, for once he felt safe enough to drowse. He knew there was nothing to stress about right at that moment, but that could be related to the change in environment. Or it was the drugs again, either way the warm feeling was like a balm on his soul.

He could smell the freshly washed bed sheets and that stinging antiseptic smell he was covered in. The day before had been one long doctor's visit. It was a small price to pay to smell like a pharmaceutical lab rat, all in all. He hadn't been comfortable in little over a month, and he knew for a fact that he'd never owned a bed this comfy. He was certain he hadn't slept this well either. It was downright suspicious and he didn't trust it. It could be a setup.

The details about what had happened were fuzzy while the drugs lulled him, but a mission had gone slightly wrong towards the end. He had been separated from the others and bleeding from a head wound. That was likely the reason for the fuzzy memory. Even so he had chased after one of the goons their victim had surrounded himself with. Witnesses always meant trouble so it was better to eliminate them quickly. And it was better he did it, the other three were not so thorough. He had ended up in a basement nearby with the goon running slightly quicker than Ran, the other man familiar with the area and knowing where you could run through the tall residential buildings and disappear for a few seconds.

They had fought in an empty room when he had taken another hit to the head and been dazed enough to stumble. His opponent had taken off and slammed the door shut. It had been open when they got there, but as soon as it closed the lock engaged.

He had no idea if the guy had gotten away or if his team had found him and dealt with him. He doubted they had bothered. They weren't as fanatical about loose ends as he was. In fact they often preferred to let people go.

He never got out of the room, there was no way to open the door from the inside and no windows. He would have been stuck there forever, which was embarrassing. It had looked like a storage room, maybe for maintenance. There were shelves, a floor drain and a sink. No items, however, likely never having been put to use. No windows. Solid walls. The building was new, but not new enough for there to still be construction done to it. He knew these spaces usually had a safety handle on the doors so these sort of things didn't happen, but perhaps it hadn't been installed, or they'd forgotten it. Or something more sinister was afoot, his paranoid mind supplied.

The reason he was now in a soft bed and not slowly starving on a cold, hard cement floor was because someone had rescued him. The man was sitting on the bed and looking at him when he blinked awake. He felt somewhat reassured when he recognized the man, even if it ended there. His brain refused to give him more clues other than the fact that, yes, they'd met repeatedly before.

The man was slim but fit, his long legs crossed, dressed in slim jeans and burrowed in an over-sized green hooded sweatshirt, a half-smoked cigarette tucked behind his ear. “You awake yet?” the man asked curiously.

Ran nodded and slowly sat up in the bed. He was dressed in soft cotton clothes that he didn't recognize. Maybe the other man had loaned him some. He remembered lending team mates his own clothes on occasion, when the others had been injured.

Sitting made him dizzy.

“Easy there, you still look woozy. There's no hurry. Are you hungry? I can make you some food. Gruel, maybe. I doubt you can eat much, but you need calories,” the man babbled at him.

“Why did you save me?” Ran asked in a hoarse voice. He vaguely remembered screaming and fighting the other man when he was saved from the basement, but not why. His memory was clearly not on top of its game. His head in general felt wrong. Not eating for so long might have something to do with that, or perhaps being alone had affected him. He had gotten something liquid from the doctor yesterday, along with an IV solution to fix his mild dehydration, but that seemed so long ago now.

“Good deed of the year? I could use a few karma points,” the man answered lightly, talking soothingly as if he was worried to startle Ran. His long platinum blond hair was so shiny it glimmered. It wasn't the usual color, Ran knew _that_ , and it made the man look different. Or maybe it forced Ran to see him in a different light than he was used to. He liked it. It softened the man's features. He was pretty, Ran could tell he had thought so before too.

“But -”

“We have our differences, but I don't want you dead, silly! There have been times when I really wanted to hurt you... Most of the time you're tolerable, though. Give me some credit here, I'm not a monster.”

“Thanks, I guess,” he mumbled barely audibly. “Where are we?”

“My humble apartment. Do you remember yesterday at all?”

“No, not much,” Ran admitted. He chewed on his chapped lower lip until he tasted blood. “Everything's a bit jumbled. Mostly I remember the doctor and the tests.”

“Do you know who I am now? You couldn't remember my name yesterday. You just tried to get away until you realized I was taking you to a doctor to help you.” The pout looked wrong, but it was soon followed by a smile.

For all that he tried he couldn't find the name that belonged to the face. He tried to make his memory cooperate, but it wasn't relenting anything. Not even a nickname. He knew it had something to do with work, with Weiss, and he knew he had seen the other man and that they argued. About what or why he didn't remember.

“No. Sorry. It's just, I don't know, I forget a lot. It's like I can't think. I know I've seen you before.”

The other man moved to sit down even closer, right next to him on the bed and put an arm around his shoulders. It was a casual and friendly gesture. Ran froze at the unusual feeling of someone touching him, but he had been alone so long and he liked the feel of it. As much as he often denied it he did need other people. The other man's body heat seeped through their clothes and made him realize he was cold.

“Don't worry, I understand. You need to eat. The brain can't work without food. How about this, you call me, hm... Alex, until you remember. That way we'll easily know when your memory comes back in full,” the man suggested.

“Fine.” The foreign name felt decidedly unfamiliar and wrong, so he felt certain it wasn't the name he knew the man by. He was glad the man wasn't taking it personally. It was slightly annoying he wouldn't just tell, but perhaps it was better if Ran remembered on his own. Perhaps it would make things awkward later if memories were planted now.

He knew a thing or two about treating memory loss.

“It wasn't intentional, what happened. Nobody wanted you to be stuck there. It was just really bad luck. I'm glad I found you, but I was just at right place at the right time.”

Ran relaxed into the man's warm body when his hair was petted. Feeling the nimble fingers against his scalp was nice, and it made him feel better about the world in general that he hadn't been left to die. Leaning a little closer he focused on just breathing so he wouldn't cry. He didn't recognize the cologne the man wore, but the faint smell was pleasant.

“Can you hold me a little longer?” he asked softly, barely above a whisper. He hated asking. Hated it, but he needed it more than he needed air to breathe.

He was hugged properly then, and he clung to the other man like his life depended on it.

“Hey, hey, hush, it's okay, I'm here,” the other soothed. “You're safe now.”

Ran closed his eyes and marveled at the fact that the other man was not pulling away from him. They'd hugged far longer than what was decent even for close friends, but he couldn't let go, not yet, and he hoped the blond would never let go either.

It was during times like this, when he had a brief moment where he felt safe and loved, that he hated himself for getting tangled up in the underworld. It would have been so much _easier_ to just build his life up again. If he had stopped to think back then instead of just charging forward he could have had more of this and less of the guilt, the pain, the blood on his hands, the fear.

“Thank you.”

 

 


	3. “Just you wait, soon enough you'll be back to glaring and growling.”

He was quite proud of himself, being down to smoking four cigarettes a day. He hadn't gotten drunk or high in six months, and he went out a lot less too. Even the wild child could grow up, it seemed. He opened the window to finish the cigarette he had started on earlier in the day. He only smoked a half each time. Tricked the brain.

He wasn't giving up smoking, ever. He liked it too much to quit, and it wasn't like he would die from old age anyway. Not in this business. Nobody faded away from illness, they would all go out with a bang. They deserved a warrior's death.

“Hey, Ran,” he pointed to the ashtray. The malnourished man startled at the use of his real name, but obediently moved the tray closer. “Thanks. Sorry. Would you prefer it if I called you Aya?”

The redhead shrugged, carefully sipping the thin gruel he had been given. It took a long time for him to eat, but he was on his second cup that day so at least he had an appetite. It was spiked with loads of sugar, so it was probably a little too sweet, but Ran was Japanese enough to not complain about food given to him. Admirable policy, that.

“Well, Ran it is then.”

The doctor had given him some drugs to make the redhead recover faster. They weren't approved, but he trusted the man to not give him or his friends any weird stuff.

He took the cigarette from behind his ear and lit it. The breeze from the open window was cool. It was winter and really not the ideal time to be stuck in a cold, damp basement. It had been pure luck that he had found the redhead too. That sort of bad luck happened, getting trapped was commonplace in the trade. Not being found, not being saved for weeks, that was no doubt even more traumatic for someone used to being on a team. At least the guy had been able to drink water or he would have died for sure.

He wasn't sure how he would have felt being stuck somewhere and not being able to call for help. The doctor had said Ran had a halfway healed head wound that should have been treated sooner.

“My dad used to make me gruel when I was little. Just milk, oatmeal and sugar. Probably way more sugar than necessary. He is a strange man, but unlike my mom he can cook.”

“It's good,” Ran surprised him by saying.

He grinned around the cigarette. “Thanks. Sorry you have to share a bed with me.”

There wasn't anywhere else to put him. The apartment was tiny and he didn't even have a couch. All he got was a shrug in return. He supposed his house guest had bigger concerns. I was probably hard to be picky when you were used to a slab of cement with a coat on it. That, and Ran seemed to be more accepting when it came to touching. Craving it, almost.

The cigarette was all gone now, so he put it out. The window slid shut without a sound when he pushed it. Hell, he wasn't opposed to touching. Touching was nice.

It unnerved him that someone who was normally meticulous about his appearance now looked like a concentration camp survivor. The red hair was growing out dark roots. He had never seen that before, so he assumed Ran would never allow it if he had a choice. That, and the sword had been in somewhat sorry shape.

“Hey, I left your sword with a blacksmith by the way. He said he'd repair it.”

“Thank you,” Ran said. “It used to belong to someone else, and it's all I have to remember them by, so I'm a little attached to it.”

He smiled, the redhead was easy to please at the moment. Pity it wasn't likely to stay that way. “I have to leave for work in a while, try to sleep while I'm gone. Don't go anywhere, you're too weak to make it to the elevator. Wouldn't want you to get pneumonia because you collapsed somewhere.”

Ran shrugged again. The head fell and Ran stared down. He heard the faint whisper “I am so pathetic” before purple eyes raised and met his. There was self-loathing in them, and no small amount of fear. “I'd rather not be alone.”

“I have to go, the team needs me... It won't be long, I promise.”

Ran chewed on his lower lip. “Sorry.”

“You'll be fine,” he reassured gently. “Just sleep through it. Oh, there's juice bottles in the fridge. Drink that instead of water so you get some extra calories.”

The small smile on Ran's face was just a twitch at the corner of his mouth.

It twisted something in him to leave the other man when he was obviously still weak, but he had to. “Hey, you'll be fine. Don't lose all confidence now.”

Ran nodded slowly.

“Just you wait, soon enough you'll be back to glaring and growling.”

“I suck at interacting with people, don't I?” Ran asked self-consciously.

He raised an eyebrow. “Ya think? Yeah, you do. Just keep in mind that good behavior is rewarded with hugs. I know you like hugs... don't you, kitten?”

Ran blushed.

It made him chuckle. “Don't worry, I won't tell them.”

 

 


	4. They Had Scared Him Once

Try as he might, Ran couldn't sleep. The comfortable bed beckoned, but he was antsy so he never settled down on it. Snooping around in the apartment he found a few surprises but no revelations.

There were pictures on the walls. He thought they were bought prints at first, they were professional enough. He recognized most of the people in them on some level and he knew they weren't models. Assassins would never risk that, he knew, but the names and affiliations were lost for now. There were a few pictures of a pretty woman dressed in different classic Chinese outfits. Some of he pictures of young children looked related to his host. Perhaps childhood pictures, he mused. He couldn't remember if the man had any siblings. Or children.

Ran felt something cold run down his spine. Children. They weren't that far apart in age, were they? Could he himself had been a father at this age? He had been so stuck on his path for vengeance, but it wasn't like he was completely oblivious to the looks people gave him. If not a serious relationship, he would have at least slept around a fair deal by now if his parents hadn't been murdered.

Was his host a father? He simply didn't know. Not even the name was coming to him. Just that he knew him on some level. Ran sighed. He'd remember in time. Or not. Maybe he was better off not remembering.

The man was nice. Did he really need to know the details?

There were two pictures that interested him more than the others. They were almost identical, same place, same guy, but there had to be at least five years between the shots. The first showed a young teen and the other an adult version of the same person. That was the guy, Alex, and he was smiling at the camera. Ran smiled at the pictures, he rarely saw people who had genuine smiles. Whatever that landmark was Alex was clearly happy to be there.

The place looked old, but not Asian, so he assumed it was Europe. America didn't have old buildings in the same way. Who did he know who was from Europe? Or perhaps it was just a vacation photo? Ran thought it looked a bit like a Disney castle with the main difference that it was worn by weather and wind. Didn't Youji like Disney?

There was something that rang a bell about Youji and Alex.

What little books there were in the apartment all centered on psychology, social science and languages. There weren't any fiction, but the bookcase contained a thin laptop and a tablet. He didn't touch either, somehow sure his host had nothing compromising on them.

He was wearing the other man's clothes. After being filthy for a month, or cold because he had to wash his own clothes in cool water, clean clothes that were dry almost made him giddy. All fabrics were soft. Obviously the other was fond of his creature comforts. As if the bed wasn't clue enough.

His cellphone had died after three days in the basement due to the battery running out. Calling anyone had been as useless as trying to use the radio to contact them anyway. No one had picked up, no response on the radio, and no one trying to reach him. He'd made a few calls to emergency services, but his head wound had made him slur and they hadn't taken him seriously. It had still been panic inducing to see it die, even if he had sort of given up already. The other man had bought a charger for it and plugged it in, he noticed.

Cautiously he touched the battered device without turning it on, then left it where it was. It gave him chills just to be near it. He saw a ghost out of the corner of his eye and frowned. They seemed to be interested in everything and nothing, little thrillseekers that mostly enjoyed it when people feared them.

He had assumed he had been left to die, but they could have looked for him. He had been found by accident so it wasn't impossible that it was true that it was just a string of really unlucky events that made it all happen. He just felt so hopelessly _abandoned_ and small. Insignificant. It ate at him and made him wonder if he'd deserved it, if it was because he was such a social misfit.

But Alex seemed glad to have him around.

“Alex,” he whispered, “that's not your name, but what is it?”

Ran went to the small kitchen and grabbed an orange, the ghost in tow. It should be fine, even with how his stomach was not used to food, and he really wanted something fresh after remembering his time in the room. Something with taste. Something to focus on so he didn't have to listen to his own mind.

The pack of cigarettes on the tiny table were an American brand. It seemed wrong, somehow, as if it should be a different brand. Perhaps he had switched brands? Ran had smoked a few times, but he didn't like it enough to pick up the habit. He didn't mind others smoking as long as they had some manners while doing it. Didn't mind Alex smoking.

The ghost sat on the table and watched him eat. They had scared him once, but now he wasn't bothered. They had been his only company in the basement and he knew that they had kept him alive, even if it was mostly due to their own curiosity. They weren't truly ghosts, but he wasn't sure what they were either.

Eating the orange made him feel full again, which was strange in one way and understandable in another. He cleaned up after himself. There was nothing more to occupy himself with so he washed up, brushed his teeth and went to the bed. He was weary, even though he still couldn't sleep he settled down and allowed his body some rest. The bed was comfy, after all, and soon became warm.

When the other man came home Ran was still awake. He regretted it, because it was awkward being in the same bed. Under the same cover. The other man seemed to have no such reservations about it. He grabbed Ran and pulled him closer until Ran was lying half on top of a naked chest with strong arms hugging him gently.

His own skin was paler, not tanned from obvious sun exposure. He felt small, but logically knew that had he not been starving they would be about the same size. The warmth from the other body made him relax. It was comfort, nothing scary or indecent.

And he wasn't alone.

“You okay?” Ran asked.

“Yeah,” Alex lazily stroked slender fingers up and down Ran's back. “I'm okay. You're shaking.”

Ran pressed his face in the crook of Alex's neck. “Sorry.”

“Did you sleep at all?”

“No.”

“I'm not going anywhere for a while, it's safe now,” Alex soothed.

Ran hummed when Alex rubbed circles into his shoulders with gentle fingertips.

 

 


	5. "Did You Lose A Little Kitten?"

Youji woke up alone in bed for the first time in a week. It disorientated him for a few minutes to not have a warm body next to him. He wasn't entirely sure what had woken him up either. It was just after seven in the morning according to his cheap alarm clock, which meant that after last night's mission he had gotten a stunning two hours of sleep. The shop was closed and the others should be asleep as well.

Then he heard Ken shouting at someone. Fearing it was their wounded teammate he quickly found a pair of pants and pulled them on while he moved towards the noise. If he accidentally flashed anyone... well, with how the fight seemed to escalating they'd likely never even see him even if he'd been wearing pink bunny ears and a glittering thong.

Now, that was an image.

Not that anyone was likely to be chocked by either thongs, bunny ears, or a naked Youji for that matter. Aya would have growled and told him to get decent, but the others? Nah. After doing everything from killing the prime minister to fighting genetically modified monsters they were jaded.

He wished he had more patience with Ken. The younger man had a horrible temper, but he also had a good heart. It wasn't that the younger man _meant_ to be mean. Sometimes it just happened. And it pissed Youji off a lot more lately.

“What the fuck is going on?” he yelled at Ken when he came into view. He saw Manx then, and cleared his throat. “What's wrong?” he amended for her benefit. Not that she cared, but he had manners around ladies, thank you very much.

“Siberian said Mastermind asked about Abyssinian.”

“Yeah,” Youji nodded. “Asked is probably the wrong way to phrase it though... Fucker sounded all smug. ' _Did you lose a little kitten? I found a stray_.'”

“She won't tell us where he is.” He could hear that Ken was worried sick. Ken liked Aya, they all did, but he had never known Ken to clue Aya in on that. They were like territorial dogs, those two.

“What?” Youji burst out. He walked closer to the redhead who stopped him short with a glare.

“I can not tell you, because we do not know,” Manx bit out, all but hissing like an alley cat. “He's missing.”

“Did his new team lose him?”

Manx looked questioningly at Ken. Youji could swear she was debating how his IQ score had landed in double digits. Youji wasn't willing to attribute him with triple digits, but...

Fuck.

“He was never transferred, was he?” Youji asked with a sense of growing dread. “We lost him on that mission and never looked for him.”

“Why did you think he was transferred?” Manx asked curiously, the type of curious displayed by a rabid mother bear missing a cub. Aya and Omi were her favorites. Top of the class, best of the best, and all that.

“Because, he was gone and the new guy was there. It'd be just like Aya to up and leave without saying anything. Rex just said ' _here's the new guy_ ' and left.”

Manx studied the wall for a few seconds, still visibly furious. “If Schwarz has him he's compromised.”

“Manx,” Youji warned.

“If you get him back and he seems to be himself, I'll do what I can. I'll talk to your new liaison.”

“Rex is a bloodhound,” Ken complained. Youji could tell he was seething, but he held it in for now. “Hey, didn't the new guy say he'd seen Aya? When he saw that picture of us?”

“Your problem. I need to go, I haven't fucking slept either,” Manx excused herself tersely. “Don't lose anyone else.”

Youji sighed. On top of having to deal with possessed children _by killing them_ they now had to deal with their own incompetence, and Youji knew which stung more. As freaky as the kids were when they were possessed, it wouldn't give him more nightmares than what they'd done to Aya.

Aya who would have gone through Hell and worse to save their asses. For all his faults the guy was loyal to them, and in his own fucked up ways he was often a good friend. He was reliable in a way they weren't.

Ken brought Youji out of his musings when he punched the wall, and managed to hurt his hand more than the wall like a rookie. Youji grimaced at the bloody knuckles. Shit like that hurt. Not as much as dislocating your fingers, but still.

“We need to find him. I can't believe we left him,” Youji moaned. “It was fucking _weeks ago!_ ”

“I'll wake Omi up,” Ken mumbled.

“Omi is already up,” Omi spoke up softly from behind them. “Like I could sleep through all that noise... It's my fault, he called, but I put our phones on silent. I thought he was angry because he got hurt when I was distracted and it had just been such a shit week that when Rex showed up and the new guy was there... Well.”

“Hey, we all thought the same thing,” Youji said quietly. “We all assumed he had left. We'd been falling apart as a team and it seemed logical to change things. We're all at fault here.”

Omi crossed his arms over his bandaged chest. The kid looked more like an abuse victim than anything else. “He would never have left one of us behind.”

“Well shit, go straight for the heart, why don't you?” Youji muttered. “I know. I fucking _know_ Omi. Out of the three of us I've been the closest to him. As much as he's a surly killjoy he's also the only fucker I've met in Kritiker who have always had my back no matter fucking what.”

“Do you think Schwarz had anything to do with it?” Ken asked.

“No, it's not their style,” Omi sighed. “They'd take Sakura or his sister if they wanted to hurt him. I really want to blame them, but I think we have to blame ourselves.”

“So what would they want with him?” Ken asked. “The telepath was pretty clear on the fact that Aya was with them. Seemed to indicate he was personally holding him. What would Schuldich want with him? Why not mention it earlier?”

“The guy is a sadist, he could keep him for any number of reasons as a fun toy,” Youji pointed out. “And you're right... maybe he just found him? Which makes it worse, because then we could have fixed this...”

There were any number of people who wouldn't mind locking them up. Or worse. Schwarz could have picked him up on one of their jobs. Or simply stumbled over him and decided to have some recreational fun. Youji didn't want Aya to suffer any more than he had. The guy could barely express himself when he tried to explain how much grieving his family hurt, Youji had no idea how he'd cope with torture or rape. Probably not well.

Aya and coping were not on speaking terms with each other on a good day.

“He's still a good assassin, even without their powers. Last we saw them they had someone else with them, maybe...” Omi chewed his swollen lip until he remembered it was hurt. “Ow. Maybe they need more people.”

“Would Aya agree though?” Ken asked.

Omi shrugged. “He was hurt pretty bad, and none of us answered his calls. He has never liked or trusted Kritiker. Yeah, maybe. Even if he didn't, they could make him agree. Either through torture or if the telepath did something to him.”

Youji wanted to scream that Aya had liked _them_ , dammit, but he was too busy feeling like emotional roadkill. And Mastermind was involved. That guy could make Aya believe anything given enough time. “I can't believe we fucked up that bad.”

Omi shrugged and looked away. “I can't believe Crawford pulled his team off of us like that. They always pull back and avoid lethal force, but it was just...”

“I know. Like he thought we were not worth the bother?”

“Something like that,” Omi agreed.

“New guy sucks,” Ken muttered.

“You said that about Aya too,” Youji huffed.

“Yeah well, I never meant his skills, did I? Yeah, so I didn't like him at first. He still hit the ground running.”

Youji wanted to agree. The new guy was crap in general and downright worthless against Schwarz. He froze up at times and the damned fool couldn't know the first thing about forensics. Still, they were comparing him to Aya, who was one of the better operatives in Kritiker. It wasn't fair to do that, the new guy had his good moments.

Omi held his hands up in the air to quiet them. “Drop it. I'm going to bed. I'd suggest you guys do the same. We're no good when we're this tired and that's an order. You'd do well to start remembering who your leader is now that you can't hide behind Aya.”

Hoping to all Hells that Aya was safe with Schwarz, they _hadn't_ hurt the sister after all, Youji went back to bed. He belatedly realized he hadn't even bothered to check Ken's wound or ask if Omi needed help with his. “Brilliant,” he muttered, “we're one fucked up team if not even I can care anymore.”

He lit the thirtieth cigarette in twelve hours and vowed to be a better person after he'd slept for at least two days straight. Hopefully. He sometimes felt like a marble statue emotionally. Nothing really touched him for long.

Aya had pushed him to do things, and Youji had needed that. “Don't worry, Ayan, I'll come get you.”

 

 


	6. "Cats Are Kind Of Cozy."

The people in the unit above got into another fight and the loud thoughts woke him up even though the physical sounds were too muted to bother him. He yawned and snuggled into the warm body in bed with him, content to waste a little more time resting. It wasn't often he had that luxury, even if he imagined that Ran would have had even less luxuries in his life recently.

Kritiker was such a joke.

He watched the stray cat sleep. It didn't bother him to have another man in his bed any more than the pillows bothered him. In fact, Ran could stay there permanently.

He had never tried to keep a pet for a longer period of time, always ending it too soon out of a restless nature that demanded instant satisfaction. Other people were nothing but toys anyway. Keep them or throw them away, it didn't matter. Everyone had both redeeming qualities and annoying habits. He became fond of people he spent time with easily, an annoying side effect of being a telepath. It was still easy enough to kill them or throw the cold, hard and ugly truth in their faces until they broke.

They weren't necessary, few people were.

Just there.

Always there.

Ran woke up even though he obviously wasn't ready to, some half-formed memory jolting him awake. Slowly blinking his eyes and opening them only halfway. Schuldig smiled then, because Ran was cute sometimes. Child-like. Wanting his mummy but knowing she'd never be there to kiss it better again.

“Morning,” he said softly, careful not to spook the kitten. Besides, loud people early in the morning were just a nuisance.

Ran mumbled something. He started breathing shallower and quicker, eyes wide, muscles tense.

“Hey, you're safe now,” he tried despite knowing the cat was out of the bag. So to speak. He was disappointed at not having a longer go at it, but he didn't let it show. It had been bound to happen, the brain needed food and sleep to work and Ran had been getting too little of both.

“Schuldig,” Ran said almost as an accusation, almost as a disappointment. He moved slightly, but stopped instantly when Schuldig tightened his hold. It would take very little force to control a weak kitten.

“Got your memory back in order, I see,” he noted.

That disappointed look was something he could use. If Ran wasn't keen on being enemies again, well... maybe he'd get a pet after all? It wouldn't be a problem to do some tampering, perhaps just a tweak here and there, but that would go against the rules he had made up for this game. Controlling people made them boring.

He was all about a different control lately – control his bad habits, control other people, and make it all work without always using his talent. It gave him a rush to know that he was good even without using telepathy to change people's perceptions. Made it easier too, when he had to apply some telepathy since the groundwork made his manipulations stick better.

It was probably Brad's fault it had started. That guy kept his personality wrapped so tight it was almost like a tsunami when it showed up. Schuldig had always enjoyed it, watching Brad slip up and leave the mask off for a while. It also made him envy the control Brad had. The ease with which he made people bend to his will. He had even made Schuldig bow to his whims.

Ran calmed down eventually. He didn't attempt to move away further from where he was nestled in the blankets, close to a body he finally realized belonged to an enemy.

Schuldig sighed softly, aiming for a hurt expression and knowing his acting skills were up to it. “Is it better if I'm Alex? Or are you going to admit to yourself that even I can occasionally be nice?” He stroked Ran's hair out of his eyes with one hand, brushing a thumb against one cheek in the process.

Ran chewed his lip again, buying the charade. It made him look so much younger when he hesitated. “For how long, though?” he asked warily.

“Maybe I want to keep you. Cats are kind of cozy.” He petted Ran's hair some more, eyes daring the redhead to break the fragile peace. Normally Ran would have, but he was such a messed up little ball of insecurity now that he had been alone for weeks.

“Not to hurt Weiss?”

“No, this is just us,” Schuldig lied smoothly. He'd never let an opportunity to stab the other team in the back pass. And here was the fearless Abyssinian, desperate for cuddles and afraid to go back home. “I'm sure your phone is fully charged by now, you can call them any time. Or walk out. _Or_ you could stay with me for a bit.” He yawned again. It really was too early for him. “If I had wanted to hurt you I could have done so a hundred times over. Hell, I could have just _left_ you to die. No work involved on my part...”

Ran was still as he considered the options. Schuldig took the time to relax and enjoy the warm bed with its new addition of a redheaded hot water bottle. He still had an armful of kitten and he liked that. Sure, Ran could use some more fat on him, but that could come with time.

After a little while Ran sagged so that their bodies were pressed against each other again. He knew that Ran needed to be held and they both knew Weiss wasn't going to do that. Ran was too awkward to ask for it now that his head was returning to normal and the other three wouldn't see his subtle signals.

“I'll take you to see your friends when you're better,” Schuldig said softly, more as a peace offer than a promise. He knew Ran had been replaced, so it might not be a happy reunion. He had considered just giving Ran to Kritiker when he had found him. Brad had told him not to, which meant the sneaky bitch was up to something again. He loved Brad like an older brother, but the guy liked elaborate schemes as much as he himself did. He had to admit that Ran had potential as a fifth member, and they were looking for more since they were getting more and more jobs. Eszett had lost a lot of people recently, an annoying side-effect of the Elders being put out of their misery. “I'll have to figure out some devious reason for all this though. I have a reputation to uphold.”

Ran snorted and laughed softly. The fact that Brad had all but ordered Schuldig to take the kitten in meant that Brad wanted Schuldig to have him. To what end? Was he that obviously lonely? He really would have to work on his reputation. He stroked Ran's back. “You can stay as long as you play nice,” he said quietly.

“Why?”

“Head still fuzzy?” Schuldig could tell he was still a little out of it.

“Just tell me,” Ran said.

“I don't know. Sometimes there really isn't some complicated reason for why things happen. Sometimes things just happen and you go with the flow. Sometimes there's a cozy kitten sleeping in your bed and you decide it's kinda nice.”

“Who are the people in the pictures?” Ran abruptly asked to change the topic. Heaven forbid they linger in awkward territories for long.

Schuldig turned to the wall he had plastered with photographs. He grinned. “Well, the naked trio is the rest of Schwarz,” he pointed. “I was really just going to capture Brad's tattoo, because who would have guessed he even had one, but I decided to get the whole set. You have no idea the beating I took for sneaking pictures of them. They don't mind so much now that they've realized it wasn't a prank.”

He pointed to a Japanese child, “that's Nagi too.”

“What's that Disney castle?”

Schuldig laughed out loud. “Disney castle? No, that's an old Austrian castle, a bit of a landmark, and it's where Eszett chose to have it's headquarters when it came up for sale.”

Ran pointed to the pictures of him as a child. “And those?”

“Me. Well, who I used to be. I can't say there's much left of that kid, this type of job changes you. I was happy though, it's not like with Farfarello or Nagi. Brad and I had good childhoods. I joined Eszett willingly. I wanted to learn how my gift worked and I didn't want to spend forever hiding it.”

Schuldig kept stroking Ran's back. It calmed the kitten down, made his thoughts run smoother. This close it would take a lot of effort to block the other's thoughts out, and Schuldig didn't mind the soft murmur. It was like having music on while you worked out.

“I always figured Eszett was more like Kritiker about recruitment.”

“Eszett isn't harmless, pussy cat, especially when it wants something,” Schuldig chuckled. “There's just a lot more to it than the crazy-assed science experiments and that half-baked plot for world domination. It doesn't matter though. Want some breakfast?”

Explaining Eszett to a non-talent was something he never bothered with. They weren't outcasts in the same way, and they never understood. There was more to Eszett than first met the eye, that was true, and if Kritiker thought they were gone and done for just because the Elders were fish food then he would just have laugh even harder the next time the topic came up. Silly, silly normals.

“Sure.”

Schuldig missed mornings with Brad and the others, but living alone was a lure he had no resistance to. He's never done it. There had always been other people.

He made a breakfast he was familiar with. He'd never warmed to eating Miso or rice in the morning. Ran didn't mind the sandwiches and coffee. Didn't mind western food in general, Schuldig noticed.

“I picked up some hair dye for you,” Schuldig said when his brain woke up enough to remember the detail.

“Why?”

“You're my cat now, I need to make sure your coat is shiny.”

Ran looked wary, but then shrugged. “Fine.”

“Would you rather have another color?”

The shrug was a no. Being a telepath helped immensely when dealing with socially challenged people like Ran.

“Why did you change yours?” Ran asked.

“Because I can,” Schuldig answered honestly. Ran thought he looked prettier, but didn't say it. “Thanks.”

“Do you ever turn that off?” Ran wasn't sure if it was okay to ask that, but he was scared and asked anyway.

“It's like having ears. Ears don't have an off position, you can just muffle sounds,” Schuldig muttered. He was going to train the kitten, oh yes he was. No telepath phobias allowed.

“I'm sorry.”

Schuldig sighed, slightly exasperated. “Don't lie, I'm not delicate and I can fucking _hear_ you. Yes, this is awkward before you get used to it. No, you're not a book I sometimes read. You're a radio station broadcasting all these weird things, and I'm tuned in to the frequency by default.”

“So the only thing you actively do is mess with people?”

Schuldig grinned and made Ran's hand draw a pattern on the table. “I'll give you a point for understanding the lecture. Sort of.”

“You've done that to me before before,” Ran accused. He recognized the feeling now. Schuldig didn't necessarily mind it, Ran could not fight him off anyway. You needed to be a telepath yourself to fight off someone of his caliber. Still, noticing what went on might be a positive thing if anyone else tried to touch his toy.

“What? No! I have a moral code against -” Schuldig fell silent and made a show out of pondering something, hand resting over his heart. “Actually, no, that's you. _Of course_ I've done it before, I'm not paid for standing around and look pretty while pre-teens ogle me. This is my job, I mess with people's heads to get paid.”

Ran snorted.

“Fine fine, I'll admit you probably made a few wreaths and bouquets over the years,” Schuldig said with a smirk.

“Why didn't you guys protect Takatori in the end?”

“That has bugged you for a while, huh?” Schuldig smirked. “He fired us. I wanted to kill him myself, but Brad was making all these lame arguments about how that would make us look bad. Speaking of. Why didn't you torture the fucker for a week? He hardly suffered enough just from dying.”

“Not my style. Why did you want to kill him?”

“Nobody, _nobody_ , hits me and gets away with it.”

Ran raised an eyebrow, worrying about Weiss again.

“All that worrying is going to wreck havoc on your blood pressure, kitten,” Schuldig pointed out.

 

 


	7. Walk With Me

Ran had left the tiny apartment to go on his short daily walk in the nearby park, and Schuldig had joined him. He hadn't the first few times, so it wasn't to make sure he didn't run away. Ran loathed being weak, but even he realized it was baby steps or passing out, and his pride felt stronger about fainting than going slow. Running was out of the question, for now. His body simply wasn't up for anything that strenuous until it had gotten some more rest and a few more meals.

He stopped often to rest, and was always surprised when the blond stopped to wait with him. Schuldig wasn't acting how he had expected.

“You don't really know me,” the foreigner huffed. “I'm not a saint, but I'm also no idiot. You don't shit where you eat, you don't work without getting paid.”

Ran leaned against a sturdy old tree trunk. “So I'm not work, then.” Schuldig certainly seemed at ease enough to be off duty, and it was true that he didn't know the foreigner. “Is Alex your real name?”

Schuldig came closer in an almost threatening manner, pressed Ran's body against the tree using his own. “Right now you're my pet kitty, and pets are more like a hobby.” It helped his shivering to have the warm body protecting him from the cool air. He resisted the urge to nuzzle closer, but he really wanted to. Schuldig seemed to like both being touched and touching others. “No, it's not my name, but it's what's on my driver's license. You know how that goes. Are you tired? I can carry you back.”

He knew Schuldig could. When he had gotten Ran out of that room he had carried him, and in and out of the doctor's office. Probably up to the apartment too, but he had passed out before that and didn't remember. For someone who didn't need much fighting skills apart from aiming a gun Schuldig was strong.

“I want to move on my own,” he said. “I hate being weak.”

“You'll be like new in no time,” Schuldig said encouragingly. “Those pills I give you are to get you better quicker. Eszett can't afford to lose talents, we're too rare, so they had some scientists cook up drugs to help with healing and such.”

“We would have killed you if it had been the other way around.” He bit his lip. “It doesn't make sense to me, you being nice.”

“Probably. You're a trigger happy bunch,” Schuldig admitted easily. “We're not taking it as personally. You're annoying when you're in our way, but it's not like we've been interested enough to kill you all off. We just bit you a few times so you'd all know not to mess with us. And for fun. Mostly for fun.”

He fiddled with Schuldig's black leather jacket. It felt surreal at times to have Schuldig be the one to nurse him back to health. He'd have preferred Youji, Omi or Ken. Except he didn't really miss them, and he doubted they would have tolerated his sudden dependency on human company. Especially with how the team had been falling apart at the seams lately. He was also a little bitter at being left, a little too jaded from years in Kritiker.

Schuldig was perhaps a big bad wolf, but he was also different. There was no broken spirit in him. Ran had the distinct impression that the blood on his hands wasn't a cause for anguish.

“They got a new guy that night, that's why you couldn't get in touch with anybody. Manx thought you guys could use more manpower. It's ironic really.” Schuldig used his thumbs to stroke Ran's cheeks lightly. His hands were warm, and Ran gave in and nuzzled closer. Schuldig smirked then and removed his thumbs.

“So, do they think I'm replaced or am I replaced?”

“Manx likes you, but as far as she knows you're MIA. And it's not the first time you've skipped school, young man. The other kitties think you've been replaced.” Schuldig leaned in and nipped his ear. “Come on Eeyore, I'll make you hot chocolate,” he whispered.

He followed Schuldig when the other man moved, but he told himself it was more to stay close to the only warmth he had access to. He stopped when Schuldig took something out of his pocket and held it out to him. It was wrapped in shiny foil. “Candy?”

“Sugar makes you gain weight,” Schuldig said with a crooked smile. “Makes you want to eat even if you're not hungry. Brad lectured me on that when I joined. For an American he's annoyingly health conscious.”

Ran took it hesitantly. He never ate sweets anymore, but he decided to try it anyway. If there was anyone who would force him to be alive it would be Schuldig.

“Geesh, you make me out like some saint. I'm not a hero, and I'm not a good guy.”

Ran shrugged. “I know. I've worked for the good guys for a while now. You're too at peace to be one of us.”

“Does that bother you? That the big bad Schwarz isn't an un-merry band of chronically depressed souls?” Schuldig asked.

“Yeah. It's unfair,” Ran said without fully meaning it. Something about Schuldig made him want to banter. The guy invited conversation in a way few others Ran knew did.

He got an amused grin for the remark. “Just be glad that my goals for the moment aren't detrimental to your health. I've tortured people I cared more about.”

A high pitched noise, like a shriek, made both of them duck and check the surroundings out of habit. Ran couldn't make out a source, but he saw nothing immediately threatening either. Schuldig helped him up and dragged him away at a quick pace.

“You could hear that?” the telepath asked.

“Yeah,” Ran answered.

“Normally I'm the only one who does. Doesn't seem close, though.”

Ran didn't ask for specifications. Schuldig looked like he had already said more than he should have. He seemed nervous, but Ran didn't get the vibe that it was immediately threatening to them.

They entered the apartment building and got in the elevator. Another side-effect of his weak body. Normally Ran took the stairs all the time.

“Why aren't you pissy with me?” Schuldig asked out of nowhere.

Ran shrugged, he didn't bother with picking Schuldig's mood apart.

“Don't delude yourself, I'm really not a good person.”

“Neither am I,” Ran said. “And I don't warn people.”

Schuldig wrapped an arm around him. “Fine, but don't blame it all on me later. You hear? If you're delusional enough to make me out to be some saint I hereby proclaim innocence.”

“Your name means guilty.”

“Oh, look! Someone has found Google. Good on you! Try searching for porn next. I hear that's all the rage these days,” Schuldig said in a loud and cheerful voice.

Ran huffed. The elevator doors opened and they walked the short distance to Schuldig's small apartment. The arm around him stayed until they had to separate to take their outerwear off.

He found himself pressed against the wall with a pair of blue eyes staring into his from a far too close distance. The kiss the foreigner gave him was featherlight and over in less than a second. Schuldig was gone just as fast. A noise from the kitchen made Ran cock his head. He very much doubted he'd ever understand the foreigner. He walked over to where Schuldig was heating milk on the stove and leaned on the wall.

“Doctor tomorrow and again in two days after,” Schuldig said casually.

“Why the kiss?”

Schuldig fingered a pack of cocoa powder. “I'm not used to people liking me.” He measured some dark brown powder into two mugs, then added sugar and cream. “Well, lust, I'm plenty used to. I'm hot and you all know it.” The mixture was stirred and then he added the hot milk while stirring some more. “Your mind gets a different flavor when you're around people you like. It's addicting. Usually it's just Brad I get that from, and I'm used to him.”

Ran accepted a mug when Schuldig handed one to him. He sipped the hot liquid. It tasted richer than the overly sweet drink he thought he knew, a bit bitter, but overall he liked it. “This is good. Minds have flavors?”

“Well, in a way. Telepathy and empathy are the same talent, an empath is just a weak telepath. It means that I pick up both feelings and thoughts, and my brain constantly scrambles to make sense of it all. Some telepaths will differentiate with color or sound which the brain also has to interpret a lot, but I've always seen different minds and moods as flavors. My mother still tastes like milk to me, it's how I recognize her in a crowd.”

“Did you always have it then?” Ran was surprised that Schuldig was so open about it.

Schuldig sipped his own mug of hot chocolate. “Yeah. It grew stronger as I grew up. I think it's about done, but I'm not sure. Most people aren't as intrigued as I am, and they try to silence the voices. The weaklings usually figure out suicide is the only option soon enough. Natural selection in action.”

Ran drank the last of his hot chocolate while he pondered it, but while psychic talents wasn't something he considered to be against nature he also had a hard time understanding how it all worked. It seemed more science fiction than reality most days.

“I can show you,” Schuldig took his empty mug and put it in the sink to soak along with his own. His eyes were suddenly more intense, focused and clear. Almost to the point where keeping eye contact was unnerving. More so than normal anyway, Ran wasn't comfortable with staring people in the eyes while he interacted with them. “Come.”

Schuldig went to the bed and laid down. Ran followed suit, curious enough that the fear wasn't driving him away. They were soon snuggled up on the bed, facing each other. Schuldig gently placed a hand on the side of his face, thumb caressing along his cheekbone.

Ran felt something shift. He was aware of still being on the bed, but he was also somehow in space. There was darkness, and stars, but also light enough to see Schuldig. Or, Ran supposed, some image of him.

“ _I won't bore you with the technical details_ ,” Schuldig's image said. “ _Just know that this is a place I created. It's like an anchor._ ”

Ran tried to walk, and found that he could, but talking didn't work like he was used to.

“ _You think about it, then push the thought. Give it weight, make it different from your other thoughts. Aim it at me._ ”

Ran shook his head when he couldn't get it to work.

“ _Ah, doesn't matter. You'll learn. Now, let's find some victims, hm? Distance works differently for me, it's more important to have a familiarity to the one I'm looking for._ ” The room went away and Ran felt something shift again. Even though he still knew he was in bed, could feel his own body breathe, he was also in a kind of new landscape. There were whispers and impressions and feelings, weaker than his own but very much discernible. “ _This is your buddy Youji._ ”

When they shifted again Ran thought he understood what Schuldig meant by minds having a taste, and he didn't like it one bit. He tensed and tried to tell Schuldig he'd rather be anywhere else.

“ _Yes, some are better than others,_ ” Schuldig smiled. “ _Listen, though._ ”

Ran tried to make sense of the whispers. He looked back to Schuldig when he knew who it was.

“ _Good. Yes, this is Omi._ ”

They shifted again, and this time Ran relaxed. He liked this mind a lot. It was like a warm summer's day.

“ _Hello_ ,” Schuldig greeted.

Ran heard a faint “ _what are you up to now?_ ” and easily placed the voice. Brad Crawford. He was a little surprised at that.

They shifted again, back to outer space, and now Brad was with them.

“ _Just playing with my kitten_ ,” Schuldig said in answer to the earlier question.

Brad looked Ran over. “ _Ah, cute little fellow._ ” When Brad reached out Ran noticed he had ears on top of his head that Brad was toying with.

“ _Reality doesn't apply here_ ,” Schuldig explained. “ _He wants you to be a catboy, so now you are._ ”

Brad's presence was still summery, somehow. Ran stepped closer and was only minutely shocked when he purred at finding Brad's image warm to his touch.

“ _It's really amusing_ ,” Schuldig told Brad, “ _he sees you as summer. Sun and warmth. To me you're always a spicy type of hot, like chili._ ”

Brad stroked Ran up and down his back. He noticed that he was now naked and had grown a tail. Schuldig stepped closer and boxed Ran in between them.

He snapped back to his body then, and a few seconds later Schuldig came to with a laugh. “Oh geez, aren't you prude.”

Ran huffed and rubbed his ears just to make sure they were still normal, because he could still feel a phantom touch. “That was weird.”

Schuldig rolled to his back and kept laughing. “I suppose. You were so cute nuzzling up to him. I thought he was going to flip, he wasn't prepared for you being friendly.”

“Why was Omi so creepy?”

“Dunno. He tastes like tar to me, but it could be my feelings for the kid bleeding over. I'm not sure if normals actually pick up on that.” Schuldig stretched. “You taste like peppermint. Youji is usually coffee. Ken is weird, he's more like bacon. Brad's spicy. Nagi is whipped cream. Far is bland, like chalk almost, probably because he's drugged so much.”

“Do you ever get hungry from that?”

“It's the opposite, sometimes I can't find anything I want to eat because everything reminds me of someone.”

Ran mimicked Schuldig's earlier touch. “Does touching matter?”

“It helps, or hinders,” Schuldig said with a look suggesting something Ran couldn't make sense of.

“Don't you ever get tired of it?”

“Don't you ever wish you were blind and deaf?” Schuldig mocked.

“No.”

“No. It's not always fun, I'll admit, but it's like any other sense to me. I told you before, it's like having ears.”

Ran moved his hand a little then, having forgotten that he was touching the foreigner. Schuldig took the hand and moved it to where he probably preferred it.

“Bold as fucking daylight,” Ran mumbled. He almost removed his hand, but realized he didn't exactly want to. Schuldig obviously wanted him to touch. He nuzzled the other man's neck while he stroked the bulge in his pants. Schuldig hissed softly when he undid the buttons and touched bare skin. He liked the feel of it in his hand, liked how Schuldig reacted to his touch.

“I am. If you're a good kitty and lick that lollipop I'll show you how it's done later.”

Ran had a short debate with himself, but found he wanted to try. Despite what Youji claimed he wasn't prude, just wary of getting too close to people. Schuldig stayed mostly still and allowed him to figure things out on his own. He wasn't pushed or held down, but he did get praised when he did something the foreigner liked.

“Do you want to swallow?” Schuldig asked, gently stroking his hair.

“No idea, I haven't done this before.”

“Try it,” Schuldig coaxed.

Ran took him back into his mouth. He liked pleasing the foreigner, oddly enough. He tried to do all the things Schuldig had liked before, curios to how it would taste and feel. Schuldig came with a moan.

“Your turn,” the foreigner declared while he pushed Ran down on the bed and kissed him. Ran was a little surprised Schuldig wanted to taste his own come. While not horrible, it wasn't exactly candy either. “But I like it when you taste like me,” Schuldig purred. “It means I've marked you.” He licked Ran's slightly parted lips slowly and then resumed the kiss.

Schuldig had him out of his clothes in no time at all, then kissed a trail down his chest while keeping eye contact. Ran wasn't sure he was able to look away, so he didn't even try. When he reached his goal Schuldig lightly kissed it from base to head, flicked his tongue in the slit and then swallowed all of it smoothly.

That effectively had Ran not only looking away, but also closing his eyes and clawing the bed sheets. He tried paying attention to everything Schuldig did, but it was hard to focus when his cock was halfway down Schuldig's throat.

“ _Like this?_ ” Schuldig asked telepathically while he bobbed his head. “ _I know you liked having me in your mouth. Do you like how deep it goes?_ ”

 

 


	8. Plots And Plans

“So, is your kitty home alone?” Brad asked Schuldig when they met up at a café to have lunch. While the older man was in a suit like he always was, a simple detail like not wearing glasses made him look different. Younger. Brad looked calm enough to the casual observer, but his eyes were furious. Something was very wrong when you didn't need to be a telepath to guess his mood.

“Yeah. I'll have to get back soon, he's got a temper and he lashes out when he feels bad. As sweet as sugar when he's good, but feeling even a little hurt and he's a hellcat. I like you in contacts, by the way. You should wear them more often.”

“We can talk business then, if there are no big eared cats around. The little detective in Weiss somehow figured out where Nagi goes to school.” Schuldig felt himself go pale for just long enough to find Nagi's mind. The boy felt normal, no pain or fear. Brad didn't continue until he saw that Schuldig was done. “They just cornered him and asked about Fujimiya. Needless to say, since he doesn't know about your pet he was apparently convincing enough.”

“He'll need to swap schools,” Schuldig frowned. Nagi had been to more than enough schools already, but it couldn't be helped. “Or Hell, fuck schools, I can implant all the knowledge and social skills he needs.”

“No, he wants and needs to do it on his own. If I were a nice guy I would tell you they're probably just as afraid for Aya as we are for Nagi, but fuck that. They left him in a hole to die. Why worry now?”

“They thought he'd been replaced with that new guy, it wasn't intentional.” Schuldig smirked viciously. “Well, not from Youji. Nothing I could have done would have hurt him like that. It bothers me that I didn't think about it.”

“You always liked them too much,” Brad accused softly. He accepted the food the waitress brought out to them and thanked her politely. She nearly fawned over Brad, but kept her professional calm in the end.

Schuldig hummed contentedly while he eyed the hot food. “Not true. Just the red one. Waitress would fuck you in a heartbeat.”

“Thank you, Captain Obvious. She practically has a neon sign on her. Red's a pest, but he's interesting at least.”

“He's a pest because he's working for Kritiker. I couldn't make him go back now any more than I could bathe a real cat without being scratched.”

Brad nodded while he chewed his food, taking it into account. Brad liked to have cards on hand, but he rarely played them.

“Besides, you insisted I keep him. I know you, Mr Crawford. You're up to something. Also, kid can't have much of gag reflex.”

“You work fast,” Brad chuckled between bites. “I'd call you a slut, but...”

“But you like me this way.”

“As long as you're careful.”

Schuldig shrugged. He'd yet to eat, he only moved his food around on his plate. “Don't worry, he's clean. Same can't be said for Youji.”

“Eat. Out of Fujimiya and Kudou, I'd have guessed wire-boy to be gay.”

“Straight is a sexual orientation, not a fashion fad.” Schuldig looked out the window. There were hoards of people walking past outside. “He's sweet,” he said in a whisper.

“There's nothing wrong with that,” Brad shrugged. “Don't make me force you to eat.”

Schuldig obediently ate a few bites of his food while Brad carefully watched him.

“This is why I hate you living alone.”

“My kitten is quite willing to cook things I can eat. Surprisingly enough.”

“You know what I mean. About Weiss, the easy solution is to bring the missing cat back.” Brad paused to check a message on his phone, and thus missed Schuldig's frown. Brad was impossible to be around sometimes with how he seemed to either be talking on the thing or using it to send e-mail and messages. “The best one would be to keep him, at least while we're so swamped with jobs.”

“What if I wanted him longer than that?” Schuldig was playing with his food again while Brad frowned. “Just as long as he's friendly.”

“Remember that _I_ lead Schwarz, if I say he goes you had better obey when the order comes. What I've seen is that if we keep him, it'll be a minefield. One wrong step and we could all be in trouble.” Brad pinched the bridge of his nose. “I hate visions involving him. They're never simple or straight cut unless I'm looking short-term.”

“I'll obey, but I don't have to like it,” Schuldig sighed.

“Less bitching, more eating.”

Schuldig finished his food. It was hard to stay mad at anyone when he ate pasta. Brad knew that. Eszett exploited it a lot, and so far it even worked as advertised. He'd worn off most other of what Eszett referred to as mood neutralizers since they were implanted by other telepaths and not a natural part of him.

“I don't want to be calm,” Schuldig said, finally voicing it.

Brad gave him a sly smile. “If you're too excited you'll do something rash with the kitten.”

Schuldig didn't argue. He _did_ have a temper, and Brad _could_ see the future. Within reasonable parameters anyway.

Brad checked his phone when it beeped with a tune suggesting Eszett had preprogrammed it to let him know this was not another ex-girlfriend. Brad was picky, but not a monk. “Gotta go soon.”

“Mm,” Schuldig agreed. He wasn't happy about it, but he couldn't complain about feeling alone when he had chosen to live alone. Brad picked up on some of his mood, but seemed to assume it was related to Nagi.

“Don't worry, the kid's okay. I'll come by here and see you in a few days. Try to lure the kitten along.”

They walked out together, but stopped before they had to part ways to get to their cars. Brad hugged him. They didn't normally cling, but Schuldig couldn't describe the hug as anything but clingy – manly pride be damned. Brad must have been more shaken up than he let on. Schuldig felt both better and worse after.

He didn't like living alone all of a sudden, but he went home like a good little boy. Except he wasn't alone, was he?

“Did you survive an entire hour without me?” he sneered.

Ran glared, sitting in the same corner he had been in when Schuldig left.

“Don't talk to me for a bit,” Schuldig warned, but he knew he was done arguing now. He just needed time to calm down fully. He got a textbook out of his backpack and sat down next to Ran to read. He didn't prefer to sit on the floor normally, but he invariably ended up close to people around him. It drove Nagi up the walls. Sometimes literally.

He needed people around and he needed them to notice him. Living alone was like a shiny new toy, it was fun because it was different. It wasn't necessarily what he needed.

“Why are you studying that?” Ran asked after about an hour and a half.

Maybe Schuldig had gotten visibly antsy and not noticed, maybe Ran had some talent, maybe it was just random luck, but no matter what it was Schuldig was actually itching to talk. He put a bookmark in the book and closed it.

“It seems relevant. I'm expected to understand humans,” Schuldig answered. “Besides, Eszett pays tuition and literature as long as you pass your courses.”

“Why?”

“They know they need to give us incentives to stick around. Suppose you had dozens of talents grouped together. If you treat them poorly they will bite, and bite hard. Eszett would be long gone if we all hated it.”

“Why is it called Eszett?”

“Supposedly that was a letter code given to some project researching talents during the Cold War in Eastern Europe, or some such. It's the part of the organization that mostly has talented personnel. We were originally backed financially by the Soviet Union.” Schuldig paused for a few seconds. “It's harmless mentioning Eszett left and right because it doesn't actually lead back anywhere.”

“Like your name.”

Schuldig smirked. Ran didn't ask for anything else, thankfully, knowing he wouldn't get an answer. Schuldig thumbed his book. He never gave more than this and he wouldn't now either. Much like his real name, this was off limits for security reasons.

He could tell Ran about Weiss finding Nagi, but that wouldn't be in his own best interest. He wanted Ran to think that Weiss didn't give a shit. “Kritiker found out where Nagi goes to school,” he said instead. “It's making me twitchy.”

“Why were they looking for him?” Clever kitten.

“They've been looking for us for years now,” Schuldig evaded. It was somewhat true anyway. “Seeing as we're apparently all psychopaths on a killing spree.”

Ran raised an eyebrow, silently daring him to dispute that.

Schuldig smiled sweetly. “I'm not saying I have no blood on my hands, but you have killed more people than I have. A lot more.”

“You like to play with your food too much,” Ran deadpanned.

“Brad prefers it when I eat it... so don't test my temper. I'm not reluctant or unwilling, you know.”

Ran shrugged and leaned on him. Schuldig rested his cheek on Ran's head. He wasn't in the mood to argue more either.

“Have you eaten?” Schuldig tossed his book on the bed, eager for something to do. Besides, he could eat again.

Ran sat up straighter and shook his head. “No.”

“Let's go out and eat then. Watch a movie or something. This place is too small to stay all day in.” He would have reprimanded the redhead, but a few hours without food wasn't likely to kill him. He must have been skin and bones even before his little mishap, Schuldig sure hadn't seen much fat on the kitten before his little stint in solitary confinement.

He made sure they took the car because he wanted to drive. If he hadn't been born a telepath he would have liked working with machines, or maybe he had been racing cars. He liked driving and fixing things, tangible things, where you could see the result easily. They ended up at a small place Schuldig hadn't tried before, but he had noticed people thinking positive things about it. Normals had Yelp, Schuldig had direct access to their minds. It evened out in the end.

It was early for dinner so they were mostly alone. Ran liked that, skittish little kitten that he was.

He felt a tug – the only warning Eszett gave – and then his link with a higher officer grabbed all his attention. It was dangerous to do, which meant it was hopefully important. The only physical sensation that would snap him out of the current state would be pain, and he quietly hoped Ran would just ignore him.

“ _You're going to get me shot one of these days,_ ” he made sure his mental speech drawled.

“ _It can't wait_ ,” Moon snapped. Her twin, Sun, was far more friendly even under duress. “ _Report to Oracle and make it quick. No unsecured telephone communication._ ”

He was given an address and then Moon faded away.

Coming back to himself had been more difficult when he was younger, but now it was a smooth and fluid thing. He blinked and checked the time out of habit. He'd need it for the report later. Brad would write it, Schuldig just needed to supply the information.

Not that Schuldig couldn't whip up a report himself.

“You'll have to tag along,” he told Ran. If there was trouble he wasn't leaving Ran behind. He blinked up at the waiter bringing them takeaway boxes.

“Weren't sure how long that was going to last,” Ran said with a shrug.

Schuldig paid and followed Ran outside. Show weakness and the kitten took charge. He would like it or hate it depending on his mood, he decided. Right now it was convenient. It kept Ran interesting, that unpredictability. Submissive and dominant, sweet and thorny, he had a bite to him even though he had a soft core. Schuldig smiled. Ran hadn't even tried to wake him up, just rolled with it. Bonus point for Team Kitten.

They ended up in a bit of traffic and Schuldig managed to scarf his food down at red lights. He wasn't sure what was going down, or where to stuff Ran while it did. Eszett was spooked, and that didn't happen too often. Ran was better than most normals when it came to fighting, but he had no real chance against high level talents.

Or, more likely, demons. The last few jobs had highlighted a problem they didn't fucking need when they were already busy. There were children being possessed at an alarming rate. Kritiker had their nose in it as well, bumbling around like bulls in a china shop and killing the victims instead of doing research. Eszett had more information than they did, but that was not something new. It helped when you had a few kinetics and telepaths to dig around for you.

Schuldig parked illegally on the sidewalk when he spotted Brad's car, or more to the point sensed Brad and saw a car model and make that fit the one Brad drove. Nagi rushed out and spoke a mile a minute, nothing making any sense. Schuldig grabbed the kid's head and took the information the quick way. He normally didn't, but he sensed that it couldn't wait.

“I'm dragged halfway across Tokyo for this?” This wasn't _bad_ , bad. Certainly not bad enough for the twins to freak out.

Brad had joined Nagi by Schuldig's car. “Apparently another precognitive had a dire vision. Eszett thinks it's important. I'm not sure.”

“I understood that from Moon. What I don't get is why a suddenly unstable telepath is a national concern. Leave the kid alone and he'll off himself for us.”

“Maybe there's a reason for it?” Ran ventured.

“Nosy kitten,” Schuldig scolded lightly.

“You brought me along instead of telling me to grab a cab,” Ran pointed out, not perturbed in the least.

“We're already assuming that,” Brad said, nonplussed by Ran's involvement in the discussion. “The boy is possessed and we don't want to risk Kritiker snatching a talent. Still, it could potentially get dangerous since we don't know much about this little... bug problem.”

“Why bring Schuldig closer to it, then?” Ran asked.

It? Schuldig reacted to that, because Ran normally didn't think of talents that way. What was this _it_? The spirit?

“If it's physical it won't matter. If it's caused by a psi, Schuldig will be the only one who can spot it.” Brad got his gun out. “Eszett thinks we have a demon problem, I'm still not convinced it's something out of the Bible. They're not ranting about God, for one.”

Ran wasn't thinking, just staring out the windshield towards a small square of grass. The kid standing where Ran was looking blended in perfectly with the people rushing past on the sidewalk. Clearly he lived in Japan and had likely been born here. “There. He's empty,” Schuldig said out loud. There was nothing inside. No thoughts, no presence. “Now,” Schuldig said when it came alive.

None of them twitched at the sound of Brad's gun going off.

“It didn't die,” Brad said once he'd checked the future. “It'll be stuck in a dead body, though. The twins can have a poke at it.”

“Fun,” Schuldig said.

“We're staying with the Russian tonight,” Brad said. “Cleanup will be here in five to collect. Don't make detours and give the kitten your phone.”

Schuldig started the car and handed Ran his phone at the same time. “Got it.”

“Red, if he acts weird you will call me,” Brad told Ran.

Ran nodded once.

They were halfway there when Schuldig picked up a thought from Ran about how the body could be healed as long as _it_ was alive. He was trying hard not to think, but his mind was still buzzing, not like the void when the demons took over. Perhaps he didn't want Schuldig to know? That was an exercise in futility.

“What do you know about all this?” Schuldig asked casually.

“Not much,” Ran shrugged.

“Kids are being killed by the dozen, so if you know something that could help you might even save a few lives.”

“Nothing can help the hosts, not once it's inside,” Ran sighed. “I don't want to talk about it.”

Schuldig would get him to squeal. Sooner or later. Probably sooner since it involved his job now. “Ran,” Schuldig said in warning.

“Later,” Ran hedged, and Schuldig nodded. He could be patient.

 

 


	9. He Had Known There Would Be Reckoning

Youji was scared, not that it made him any less of a man. Not the regular oh-shit-here-comes-trouble scared, no, he was all too used to that type of fear. Youji was living in a B-movie type of nightmare and he couldn't wake up, because this supernatural crap was suddenly real life. All he wanted to do was have someone hold his hand and tell him it would be okay. Knowing his luck it wouldn't be okay anyway, but it always helped to have someone lie a little comfort into you.

He had woken up in his room more than once, dead sure someone was watching him and just as sure he saw a shadow move in the room. Sometimes he was even sure he heard whispers in the seconds before his eyes opened. It reminded him of the stories he'd read as a teen about aliens, but he had discounted them back then. Then this mess happened, which Kritiker had probably made worse. They had been ordered to slaughter children. He could, surprisingly, live with that.

The morgue was now full of walking corpses, because with his luck nothing could stay dead and buried. Not hostile zombies either, little lost boys and girls. Some asking him to help them call their mommy. Children _he_ had _killed_. He had known there would be reckoning, that he would be haunted by those he'd killed. He just never thought it would happen in the physical world.

“How are they up and walking with fucking holes in their chests?” he asked Manx in a voice that wavered more than it should. It was fine, he'd piece his masculinity together once this was all over. Probably.

Manx looked annoyed more than scared when she shushed him. She had a phone to her ear and calmly talked to someone as if this was no big deal. Just another day at the office. Rex had already left crying, for all her eagerness to have people executed she seemed to have a soft spot for children. Youji wasn't sure exactly what Manx had lived through, but she was one tough cookie.

“I've called someone who might know more than us,” she said in a professionally neutral voice.

“Good,” Ken nodded as if he was convincing himself everything would be fine. Youji patted his shoulder. And got a punch in the ribs for it. Thankfully Ken was not using all his strength, or it would be more than a bruise.

“Fine, _fine_ , see if I care when you scream tonight,” You hissed.

“Balinese, I'd like for you to stay. The rest of you can leave now. Bombay, please make me copies of everything before you leave. We're dropping this.”

Youji shrugged when she looked over to him. It wasn't like he'd get any sleep for the rest of the week anyway. Not like he owned his own life or had a choice anymore. If Kritiker said “stay”, Youji stayed. There was a certain comfort in having no choice.

Omi diligently got to work.

Youji felt small and insecure when he was left alone with Manx and the children. A little girl hugged him and he couldn't help but hug her back, even if Manx looked disgusted by it. He wanted to scream, he wanted to cry, but he held himself in check in front of Manx. Youji was a man, and men did not break down in front of women. He wasn't that far gone yet.

Key word being 'yet', because he could feel that coming.

He wondered who Manx had cut a deal with. A religious organization or some crazy scientist?

Eventually the door to the morgue opened and a group of armed men and women entered. They looked like an army, or a private security company. All white foreigners, making Youji suspect Eszett. Last in was the leader of Schwarz, appearing as if to confirm his suspicions.

“You know you're fucked when you're glad to see that fucker,” Youji muttered under his breath. For all the ill will he harbored towards Schwarz he was actually relieved to see Oracle. This was out of his league and the foreign organization might be better at dealing with these sorts of things.

“Thank you for calling, Manx,” Oracle said smoothly. He urged the others who had come with him to get to work with a simple gesture.

Manx handed over a few folders and a small stack of flash drives. These were the copies Omi had made, Youji realized. “It's all in there,” she assured a woman dressed in a lab coat.

Oracle had a commanding presence. Youji knew he would have to be some type of natural leader to keep Schwarz in line, but he felt it more when the foreigners all deferred to him. They didn't see him as a security detail, he was treated like their superior officer. Perhaps he was. They had no idea how Eszett actually worked on the inside.

“Where's Aya?” Youji asked the first thing that came to mind. Mastermind might have him, but Oracle damned well had to know where the freak was hiding.

“The girl? Or the poor kitten you left to die?” Oracle asked with that condescending little smile of his.

“The one you nearly killed every time we fought your team of freaks, Asshole,” Youji bristled. The little girl was gently pried from his embrace. He allowed the foreigners to do it.

“Such a temper, Balinese. Feeling a little guilty, are you?” Youji threw a punch, but the annoying foreigner simply stepped aside as if it meant nothing.

“Balinese,” Manx snapped.

Youji crossed his arms over his chest and glared.

“Could I borrow him, Manx? I could use someone local to do legwork for me.”

Cool. Unruffled. Acting as if Youji didn't hate him.

“As long as we get something out of it,” Manx agreed. She watched the foreigners escort the children away.

“We can work something out later, I'm sure,” Oracle said. “Money is no problem for us, after all.”

At that moment Youji wasn't sure who he hated more. He glared at Oracle while Manx left. Her heels echoed in the empty room and the hallway outside. They were alone now.

“Relax, Abyssinian is safe. Schuldig is giving him some much needed TLC. I know you won't believe it, but we're simply giving him a place to rest up and heal. He's not a prisoner.”

Youji wanted to believe him, but he couldn't. “Do you think I'm stupid?”

“A bit, yeah,” Oracle grinned.

Schuldig was the one they associated with abnormal speed, but Oracle could move fast as well. Something he proved when Youji suddenly found himself pinned to the wall. He heard his head hit before he felt it.

“Ran is such a sweet little kitten,” Oracle whispered in his ear. Youji had never liked having men this close, but he couldn't get loose. “Schuldig's rather fond of him.”

“I don't know what the Hell you think you're up to, but I don't swing that way.”

The bastard chuckled. “Have you had that conversation with your other head?”

Youji hated himself for being hard. It meant nothing, anyway. Or, well, maybe he didn't mind the occasional man in his bed, but he preferred to be the alpha male around when that happened. There was just no way he would come out of top if Oracle was involved.

“How will you sleep tonight, I wonder? How will _they_ react to you if you're awake when they come?”

The icy fear that ran through his body made him feel almost comforted by the steel grip around his wrists. “Rather them than you,” he said with a confidence he didn't feel.

Oracle let him go with a smirk. Youji stood still, and for a heartbeat they were quietly standing close together. Youji firmly told himself he felt relieved when the foreigner started to walk away.

“What are they?”

“If you do a good job for us, Balinese, I may be inclined to give you a cookie and a pat on the back.” Oracle still had his back to Youji, but he turned his head to say: “Cause me problems, however, and I will make you suffer in ways that will make standard torture seem like a lover's caress.”

Youji rolled his eyes. So he'd have to work for his information? Big deal.

 

 


	10. Headblind

They arrived at a large house outside of town. It was Western in style, and fairly modern. All sharp angles and shiny glass. The area seemed quiet and was surrounded by trees and hills, with a small lake nearby. It looked a little like a resort, Ran mused.

The rest of Schwarz arrived just minutes later. Brad was talking to someone on the phone about retrieving something.

A friendly foreign man greeted them, old enough to be anyone's father. He took Schuldig aside almost straight away.

Brad led Ran with a firm hand on his upper arm to where the rest of Schwarz was headed. Nagi and Farfarello disappeared into different rooms where they left bags. Ran assumed them to be overnight bags.

“So it's actually true,” Nagi said when he returned.

“Yes,” Brad answered. “Schuldig has a pet kitty.”

Farfarello snickered from a doorway, but seemed more intrigued by the house than the company and wandered off.

“Are you going to bring us up to speed with the possessions?” Nagi asked.

“It seems to be limited to pre-teens, but we can't know that for sure. None of the staff working on the one subject we have captured has been targeted by the loose ones. They seem harmless, for now.”

“So, we won't be possessed?” Nagi asked.

Ran wasn't sure if he felt mortified or homicidal when Brad started stroking his hair, so he settled for annoyed and glared at the man. He wasn't about to join in the conversation and enlighten them on anything. Brad smirked back at him, then he turned to Nagi. “Don't you think you're special enough? You'll always be our little snowflake.”

“If you try to tuck me in I'll squeeze your brains out through your ears,” Nagi muttered while he walked to a room.

“Aw, baby's all grown up,” Brad cooed.

Nagi slammed the door hard enough to get the message through, but not enough to cause any damage.

“I swear it was just yesterday I taught him how to shoot a gun.” Brad sounded almost nostalgic.

Ran spotted Schuldig and contemplated attaching himself to the foreigner like a love-starved cat just to get away from Brad.

“Brad, you're traumatizing my cat,” Schuldig mock-scolded. “That's not all you know is it? They normally don't go for talents.”

“There's only so little we can be sure of. We can speculate all we want, but I'd rather wait and see how it plays out.”

“What was the deal with shooting the kid?” Ran asked.

“They sort of scramble the host and make it empty, then they fill it and that's when we kill the host. They seem to be stuck then.” Schuldig stretched. “Whisper agrees with me, by the way. He doesn't think they can transfer from mind to mind. He shut me down anyway.”

“Better safe than sorry for now,” Brad agreed. “I grabbed some of your old clothes, they're in the bag in the guest room next to Nagi. I like your cat, but make sure he talks about whatever it is he's keeping quiet about. I'll be in Tokyo to check on something, so play nice while I'm gone.” Brad patted Ran one last time on the head and walked off.

“Let's take a bath,” Schuldig suggested.

Ran shrugged. It was as good as any other thing they could be doing, and it wouldn't involve Brad. The downstairs bath turned out to be bigger than Schuldig's apartment. There was a waterfall running down one wall. Ran poked it just to make sure it was real. He had been a spoiled brat growing up, but this was way out of his league.

“Bit better than the average safe house,” Schuldig grinned. “They bring clients here to show off and make deals. Sometimes we get to stay here when Whisper needs to check me over.”

The shower fit them both, and could have taken at least four more people. Schuldig was unusually meticulous about getting them both clean.

Ran relaxed when they were in the bath. The huge bath that was basically a swimming pool. Schuldig made his body float on the warm water. Ran slid his fingers through Schuldig's flowing hair. It was much darker wet.

Seemingly more restless than normal Schuldig sat next to Ran.

“What?” Ran asked.

“I can't use my telepathy right now. It's annoying. Whisper blocked it to make sure I stay safe. It'll wear off in a week, or he could undo it sooner, but it's so dull. We don't know how the demons possess or what attracts them. You know more than you let on about the demons. Is it because of the ritual?”

Ran shrugged. “No, not really.”

“I can wait to ferret it out of your skull, but mark my words... I _will_ ,” Schuldig growled and boxed Ran in with his body. “Or, since this is work, I may even turn you over to Whisper.”

He didn't feel afraid, there was nothing dangerous in the way Schuldig looked at him even if his body language was aggressive. Ran didn't doubt him, but he hated to even acknowledge the existence of these things, let alone talk about how he knew about it. Ran stroked Schuldig's hips. They were close enough to kiss. “It happened to me when I was a kid.”

“Then why so reluctant to talk about it?” Schuldig stroked his face.

“It's kind of freaky. They're not demons like the ones Christians believe in. It's like ghosts, almost. They're physical things, but you can't shoot and kill them.” Ran idly traced patterns on Schuldig's skin. “Once they're merged with a human they're stuck here. Or that's how it feels.”

“So you have two people in you?”

“No. Their personality and memories mesh with yours, so once it's done you're one. It was more than one of them. I'd have three scaring the crap out of me at night for a week before they... crawled inside, I guess. It hurt like Hell. It was before I was adopted, so I might have been seven or eight. Wouldn't you have noticed if I was... split?”

“I'd like to think so. We'll talk about it with Whisper in the morning.” Schuldig looked like he was considering it all. The silence stretched a little, then he rolled his hips against Ran.

Ran pressed himself closer to Schuldig on instinct. He felt comfortable doing things with Schuldig.

“Since I'm not getting any pleasure from my usual hobby,” Schuldig whispered against his lips. “How about we fuck? We need to find some lube, or kitchen oil, and preferably a bed. Bathrooms are bad places to fuck in.”

Leaning closer still Ran kissed him. It still freaked him out a little that this was _Schuldig_ he had chosen to get attached to and have a tryst with. It was a bit like holding a snake. You knew you'd never tame it, you knew all along it was dangerous, but there was that addictive thrill of holding it unscathed.

For all that he wanted to delude himself into thinking Schuldig genuinely cared, he could never quite manage it. Still, Schuldig was gentle and patient, and Ran trusted him to be a good sex partner even if he might not completely trust Schuldig not to crush his hopes and dreams.

Schuldig broke the kiss and looked into his eyes. “What, no objections?”

“Shut up while you're ahead,” Ran bit Schuldig's lip lightly.

Mimicking a cat Schuldig purred and nuzzled him.

They stopped by their room first, and Schuldig grinned triumphantly when he found lube stowed away along with condoms. Not that they'd use the condoms. “I fucking love precogs.”

Ran caught the bottle when it was tossed to him. “Wait, does that mean he sees...?”

“Yes, and enough about Brad already. Come. Put some on your fingers,” Schuldig instructed.

He was surprised when Schuldig laid down on the bed, told Ran to put a finger in him and talked him through the preparation. He'd expected Schuldig to top him, no options given, but it certainly put him more at ease to do it like this.

He liked how Schuldig would moan and urge him on when he used his mouth to lick and suck on various body parts. He also liked how his fingers were enveloped in tight heat. It might have gone a little too fast from two to three fingers, but they were both getting impatient.

When Schuldig told him to he slowly slid his cock inside. Ran held his body still to give them both some time to get used to it. Schuldig stroked his arms. “Move dammit, I won't break,” he urged.

He tried it and groaned softly, it had been a long time since he had tried having sex with anyone, and girls felt different on the inside. It was easy to see that Schuldig liked it, and Ran tried to find angles that made him moan more. That had certainly been easier with his fingers.

The preparation had taken a while, but it felt worth it. He'd never been interested in sex much, now he wondered why. “I should have done it with a guy sooner.”

Schuldig giggled more than he laughed, fingers stroking Ran's cheeks. “Am I that nice to fuck?” he goaded.

Ran kissed him instead of answering. He liked that they did it face to face, especially with how expressive Schuldig was when he wanted to be.

“Fuck me harder. Don't hold back. I want to return the favor and you'll be more mellow after you've come once.”

As far as devious plans went, it wasn't all bad. Oh, but he was clever, wasn't he? Ran chuckled, there was no way he would refuse now even though he might have before this. “Sure.”

Setting a rougher pace felt good, it appealed to his dominant side to have another man submit to him. To have the cocky foreigner buck and make lewd noises. He did hold back a little, just to enjoy the experience more. He couldn't keep it up long, and Schuldig surprisingly came just before him. Ran stroked Schuldig's face while they both panted softly.

“More enthusiasm than technique, but I'll give you bonus points for making me come. Now, be a good boy and spread your legs for me.”

“I can't believe you came just from...” Ran mumbled while he carefully pulled out. He was still hard. They both were.

Schuldig smiled like a predator. “Oh? I'll show you just why, little kitty cat.”

Teeth nipped at his skin without breaking through, a wet tongue making the hurt tingle. Schuldig pushed him until he was on all fours, mumbling against his flesh that it would make it easier.

The first two fingers were just a little odd, and sometimes felt like they were stroking the inside of his cock. He knew it didn't work like that, but it felt like it. The third took a long time to get used to, and being stretched so wide made him nervous. Schuldig kept telling him to talk, and Ran felt himself missing Schuldig's telepathy. Who would have thought that day would ever come, Ran asked himself quietly with a wry smile.

He tried to relax while Schuldig pushed inside, but it was difficult to do. It wasn't quite pain, but it was discomfort and it was new. Schuldig eased it into him and started fucking him with a gentle pace.

Once he'd adjusted and relaxed it felt good. Not enough to blow his mind, but certainly good. Especially when he felt Schuldig's cock hit his prostate with more and more accuracy. He couldn't have kept quiet if he'd tried. He was sure he'd come soon, but it seemed to stay just a bit away from the edge.

Obviously impatient, Schuldig's hands held his hips rougher and moved faster. He helped out with that by meeting the thrusts with movements of his own.

“You feel good now, don't you kitten?” Schuldig asked, his voice a little more accented than normal. “I can hear you moan. Do you enjoy being fucked?”

“Yes, don't stop.”

“Not until you come, don't worry.” Schuldig stroked his back with one hand, a soothing gesture more than an arousing one.

He felt his orgasm then, as if he'd just needed the gentleness to tip him off the edge. Schuldig wasn't far behind, but enough behind that Ran almost felt like he'd had his seed fucked out of him instead of his body ejaculating.

Schuldig grabbed his torso in a hug and tugged him until he was almost in the other man's lap, Schuldig sitting with his legs folded under him. The last few strokes were more a gentle rocking up into him. Schuldig said something Ran couldn't make out, the held them both still.

“We're dirty again,” Ran said softly.

“True, and I need a break, but I just love your tight ass around my cock. I might just stay inside you all night. Some time I'm going to take you while you're asleep. See how you react to it. Will you thrash for me? Scream? Beg?”

“Do you have any decency?”

“I have plenty of things, one of them being a nearly full bottle of lube.”

Ran felt embarrassed by the interested twitch his cock gave.

 

 


	11. Who's In Charge, Anyway?

Schuldig was still a little giddy over having his telepathy unlocked so quickly and spent a little more time than he should digging in people's heads just because he _could_. At the moment it was safe considering he was just accompanying his pet to the doctor.

The doctor was pleased to see Ran making good progress. He had gained weight, but not much at all visibly. He seemed to be gaining back muscle mass instead of storing fat. It went along with how Schuldig knew the drugs functioned – storing fat wasn't what Eszett needed. Ran's oddly colored eyes were much clearer than when he had first dragged in the half-dead body.

He really had expected contacts. The hair was dyed, but the eyes were really purple. What were the odds of that, anyway? The odds of having an otherwise Asian-looking child with light eyes were slim, so purple had to be astronomical. Eszett colored eyes of some experiments to better keep track of the babies, but as far as Schuldig had seen it was wonky at best, making the whole eyeball a different color and making the kids look more like aliens for it.

He had also expected more problems from the ordeal. Internal damage maybe, or pneumonia, but Ran was proving to be a resilient type. He healed up well and fast, possibly because he was still so young. The pills helped too, but it was no miracle drug.

Ran kept seeking eye contact with him. Schuldig took the hint and stepped closer so that he could put a hand on Ran while the doctor drew blood for his tests.

He had his jacket pockets full of wrapped chocolates, and he kept sneaking them to Ran. The redhead was even bold enough to stick his hand in and take when he thought no one would notice. It was like a game. He pretended to not pay attention and Ran got bolder and bolder. They were quite good, he had a few himself every now and then in case the redhead got self-conscious.

The middle-aged doctor smiled a little at it. He thought they were cute together, but was too professional to say it out loud. He earned most of his money from knowing when to shut it, anyway.

The doctor was paid in cash when they were done and Schuldig led Ran out to his car. It looked less flashy in this wealthy suburban neighborhood, but it was still noticeable because of the color. The doctor worked out of his own home, and the man had a car that must have cost almost as much.

Ran took his phone once it was synced to the car stereo and flipped through the playlist until he found a song he liked. It seemed he wasn't as picky as he could have been. He didn't mind Ran going through his phone, there wasn't much on it. He had his music and a few games, and Brad's number, but that was it. He relied on more offline abilities to communicate, the phone was more a toy and a back up. If his telepathy fucked up he really would be dead in the water without a phone.

“The boss and I are gonna meet up for coffee and a bite to eat. If you still don't like being alone I can bring you.”

The look on Ran's face was torn.

“It'll be fine. He's human, he doesn't eat kids for breakfast or anything.”

Ran shrugged and chewed on his lower lip, which always made him look younger. Or like his time in Kritiker had never happened. “I'm more worried about him being so touchy.”

“He knows you're mine, he just wants to cuddle. We don't rape little kittens,” Schuldig grinned and waved a chocolate in the air between them. He knew he had won.

Ran snagged it and smiled. He was relieved, but still wary. Schuldig didn't blame him. Brad had enjoyed using the redhead as a punching bag in the past, and Schuldig knew he could hit damned hard. It was only natural for Ran to have some residual fears clinging to him.

“I need to buy more chocolate. They seem like a good bribe item for you.” He pulled out of the small parking space and drove them towards Tokyo proper.

“What's yours?” Ran asked after a while, curious little kitten that he was.

“ _Please_ bribe me with blowjobs,” Schuldig purred. “It used to be drugs. I never took much or regularly, but I do like getting high. I like my smokes and I like booze. I don't know. I haven't been clean very long.”

“Is that why you only smoke half of a cigarette each time?”

“Yeah. I don't wanna quit smoking, I just want to be in control. It's not like I'll die from old age anyway.”

His passenger watched the city rush by and occasionally changed songs, but the rest of the trip was quiet. Ran wasn't big on talking and Schuldig liked that. He liked talking himself but he wanted someone around who would listen to him, not someone who just waited for their turn to speak.

He parked a few blocks away from the café, knowing there was nowhere to park legally close by. He broke the law plenty, but not off duty if he could help it. Eszett didn't pay his fines off duty.

Ran got out when he did. The redhead looked nervous enough to bolt, so he wrapped an arm around the thin shoulders and dragged him along. He knew Ran would tough it and go with him anyway, but why not get the kitten used to being comforted? The tourists paid them no heed, but the Japanese over twenty looked disapprovingly at them. Touching people was a no-no in Japan, and heaven forbid you'd make out in public.

Once at the café he bought the two of them hot drinks and ordered lunch for three. Brad and he took turns ordering. Schuldig didn't like being managed and Brad rarely pushed the issue unless he needed to.

Ran walked over to Brad on his own accord. They even smiled at each other. There was hope for the world after all.

He grinned and toyed with the stirring stick he had gotten with his coffee. He was a fiddler. He'd noticed ages ago when he'd gotten a piercing and just couldn't leave the thing alone long enough for it to heal. Sitting still was not his thing unless he was tired. He lit a cigarette instead of looking like a nervous high school kid. Thankfully Japan still allowed people to smoke indoors. Europe had gotten stuck up on second hand smoke lately. And Ireland had been first. Fucking Ireland! They lived in their pubs for crying out loud.

“We need more manpower for the next job. Do I ask the usual people, or is your cat still sleeping with you by next week?”

Ran turned towards Brad and looked at him curiously.

“Nothing you wouldn't be doing anyway,” Brad said smugly in a soft voice, leaning closer to Ran, close enough that they were almost kissing. “The bad guys pay better. Few people want regular civilians dead. I need to know by Sunday.”

Ran nodded, cautiously not moving his head much. “I'll think about it.”

“Good,” Brad said.

Their food arrived, the chubby girl carrying the food out smiled broadly at the handsome trio. It wasn't the girl from last time, this one was more casual in her interest. She'd still happily do any of them. Or all of them, Schuldig raised an eyebrow at that.

“Waitresses are such sluts,” Schuldig told Brad in German.

Ran eyed the plate he had gotten curiously. Brad picked away the garnish, looking equally suspicious.

“It's called pie, you eat it,” Schuldig supplied helpfully.

“Everything is an adventure with you,” Brad muttered, “so what's in it this time?”

“What have I done to earn such distrust? It's a classic quiche. Is Nagi's cold better?” he asked to change the topic. Brad really should not answer the first question around Ran.

Brad nodded, accepting the new topic without taking the chance to scare Ran some with stories of Schuldig's creative ideas about food. He could control the minds of experts and ride on their knowledge to get... interesting things created. “Fever broke, so he's just sniveling and coughing. Farfarello has offered at least twice to put him out of his misery.”

“I have class tomorrow,” Schuldig remembered suddenly. “Can Ran stay with you?”

“ _Can Ran join?_ ” he asked telepathically.

“No,” Brad said out of habit. He snatched Schuldig's cigarette and took a drag before giving it back.

“Come on, he hardly takes up any space. I'll be gone all day and I don't want him to have a panic attack because he has too much time to think.”

“ _You would_ ,” Schuldig sent to Ran before he could object.

“I am not babysitting your cat,” Brad sighed. It was a lackluster objection, but Brad made everything sound finite. He hadn't objected on whether or not Ran could join.

“He's an adult, he doesn't need supervision. He needs company.” Schuldig put his cigarette out. “ _He's good and you know it. You told me not to give him back to Kritiker._ ”

“ _That was just so you could have a toy_.” Brad pinched the bridge of his nose and then pushed his glasses back in place. “Fine,” he muttered. He never said no when Schuldig asked for things, not really. He negotiated and postponed the inevitable, but he always gave in.

Schuldig grinned. “Thank you!”

They finished their food, and barely had time to put the cutlery down before Brad's phone went off. Schuldig had a painful death planned for that phone.

“It's work, I have to take it. I'll see you tomorrow,” the American smiled apologetically. He rose and hugged Schuldig on the way out, while Ran got a light squeeze on his shoulder. Ran wanted to ask about it, but he couldn't find the words it seemed.

“He's a touchy person, once he decides he likes people,” Schuldig answered anyway. “We fucked sometimes, mostly because I'm easy and he's a pervert.”

Ran huffed. “Doesn't that make me easy for sleeping with you?”

“Don't you dare crawl up a moral high ground, I wanna get laid tonight,” Schuldig leered. “Tell Brad tomorrow you'll give it a shot. If that job goes well, you'll have enough money to settle you for a few months. I know you're mostly staying with me because you don't like the other options.”

“I'm not some insecure fourteen year old bully bait. If I didn't want to stay I wouldn't.”

Schuldig stroked his cheek gently. “I'll hold you to that. Brad's always so busy, let's have dessert.”

Outside the café Brad was meeting Balinese. Schuldig couldn't see them, but he could pick up on their thoughts. Youji was apparently gathering information and getting some juicy bits. He was so engrossed in them that when a delicious cake ended up in front of him he blinked up in surprise.

“The chubby girl recommended it,” Ran said. He tried a bite of his own and sucked his spoon clean while smiling. “She looks like she knows her cakes.”

“Sorry, just eavesdropping on Brad.”

“It's fine.”

“Mhm. I see you're less freaked out by that thing I can't turn off.”

Ran shrugged.

“Oh, liked what I did this morning?” Schuldig's grin must have been downright scandalous from how Ran almost told him to shut up. “I can do that to you in public. They'll just hear you moan like a porn star for no apparent reason.”

Ran shook his head. “No, you're not!”

 

 


	12. Babysitting

Schuldig walked to his classes instead of attempting to drive in Tokyo's morning rush. They had breakfast first, and Ran wasn't feeling too bad then. It was nothing he couldn't handle.

There were shadows all around him when he was alone. Flocking to him. Not malicious, no, but they wanted something and he couldn't understand them. When they touched him they were solid. It surprised them more than him.

Some of them stroked him the way Schuldig did while they had sex, touched his bare skin like his clothes didn't exist. Some held him down while others found new ways to explore. While they were solid, their mass was tiny when they compressed themselves. He tried fighting them while one crawled from his mouth, down his throat and then all the way through his body, following his intestines. It was a huge discomfort, but it wasn't harming him. He felt it melt and the liquid spread like cold metal. Why were they doing that? Why merge more of them with him? He didn't like them. He wanted them _gone_. Or was that what they wanted? Sometimes he felt things that wasn't his, so perhaps they were trying to tell him something.

By the time Brad showed up Ran wanted nothing more than to run away to avoid everything. Schwarz, shadows, everything. The shadows had scurried off when Brad arrived, like Ran knew they would. They didn't like people in larger numbers than one.

Why did he still have the urge to be close to other people? Shouldn't he have snapped out of it by now? He didn't enjoy being so pathetic that even the prospect of spending time with Schwarz felt like a relief. Was Schuldig messing with his head?

Brad had let himself in with a key. He closed the door and toed his shoes off. Out of all of them, Ran always thought he looked much older. He acted like more like an adult, and his body language was more carefully controlled.

Ran stayed where he was, sitting on the floor in a curled up position, feeling a bit of dread rising up his spine. The older man sat down next to him, close enough that they touched. He thought about how Brad had appeared when Schuldig had showed him different minds with telepathy. Summer.

He had felt like a safe place too, like home, even if that made no sense to Ran.

“If you'd rather go back to Kritiker, I'll take you,” Brad said calmly, as if it didn't matter to him either way.

“I don't like Kritiker.” Ran fiddled with his nails, and his sleeves. Being close to Brad usually meant pain and more often than not a fractured rib, bruised cheek or a swollen-shut eye. Or all of the above. Summer or not.

“Mm. I'm going to take you to our place, either you'll go blindfolded or you leave your boots here and I carry you to the car.”

Ran stilled his fidgeting and turned his head to meet Brad's calm no-nonsense look. “You serious? That doesn't make sense. Being barefoot stops me from running away, maybe, but being blindfolded stops me from knowing where you live. How are those opposite options in your brain?”

“They're not,” Brad agreed smoothly, “but you're in no position to argue.”

Ran huffed in irritation, he stopped himself from saying anything. All that was likely to come out were offensive things.

“My pick then?” Brad grinned smugly. He rose up and dragged Ran with him.

Ran managed not to yelp when he was grabbed and carried off, slung over Brad's shoulder. He also fought off the instinct to fight, because for all that Brad seemed to like using his fists Ran knew he was always armed with a high caliber gun. He didn't like the idea of a bullet in the forehead, in fact it always made a panicked knot take shape in his stomach.

Brad seemed to not mind the extra weight while he toed his own shoes on and locked the door behind them. He sat Ran down on his feet in the elevator, and gave him a warning glare when more people entered on the floor below. He had a hand on his shoulder, holding on just tight enough that Ran couldn't mistake it for the casual gesture it looked like.

The lobby was crowded enough that Brad couldn't pick him up like a sack of potatoes, Ran realized.

“Arms up,” the older man said.

Ran got the hint and did it, but he really didn't like it. He was itching to start a fight even if he knew he'd lose. “Yes, Daddy,” he hissed.

Brad gave him a warning glare while he lifted him up. It surprised Ran that the hold has gentle, the older man was certainly capable of inflicting pain. He had been knocked around enough on missions that he knew being carried by friends wasn't always this cozy either. He disliked cozy out of principle, but it did appeal to him.

An elderly man helped open the door for them and Brad thanked him, saying his son had taken ill. Ran wondered if it was even remotely believable – they couldn't be _that_ far apart in age. At most he estimated Brad to be between thirty or forty.

He adjusted his arms around Brad's neck and snuggled closer. The elderly man followed them to the car and helped hold the door while Brad got Ran into the passenger seat. He fastened the seatbelt himself, and ignored Brad while he sat down in the driver's seat.

“He asked if you take after your mother,” Brad said when he started the car.

“I actually don't look like either of them,” Ran said. It didn't hurt as much to talk about his parents. He would have preferred them alive, but he had accepted his lot.

“It runs a little deeper than just not looking like them.”

“I know I'm adopted, dammit!” Ran snapped. “It never mattered. They were still my parents.”

Brad ruffled his hair. “Relax, kiddo.”

“I hate you,” he muttered, but it lacked any conviction he might have been able to put behind it before all this.

“Sure you do.”

Unlike Schuldig who always had music on Brad drove in silence. He normally did that himself, but now he missed Schuldig's upbeat techno.

“Are we there yet?” Ran asked in a flat tone of voice. He grinned when Brad shot him an almost-glare.

“You're acting weird,” Brad said.

“I feel weird,” Ran admitted reluctantly. “I used to love being alone. Being around people stresses me out, but now I'm terrified of being alone to the point where I have nightmares about it.”

“The demons?”

“Not just them.”

“Why don't you want to go back to Kritiker?”

“I never do. They usually force me to come back.” Ran trailed off and was quiet for a minute. “And I've turned into this pathetic person who'd rather stay with a rival team as long as he gets a hug than go back and be a part of the furniture.”

“I'd suggest therapy, but I don't want you fixed,” Brad said in that calm, calculating voice he had. “Weiss is a lot easier to slap around without your crazy ass there.”

Ran glared at him.

“Relax, kitten,” Brad soothed and ruffled his hair again. They had stopped at an intersection. Brad removed the hand to shift gears. They'd fought each other, what was up with the stroking?

Ran could see that they were stuck in a long queue.

“You do realize that if you end up being a threat to my team I will eliminate you,” Brad said casually.

“Why haven't you targeted Weiss already? For real, I mean.”

“Because Weiss isn't important enough. So what if a few people in the underworld go missing? Do you honestly think those people wouldn't have died soon enough anyway? Or gone to jail? Just because Kritiker is impatient about these things doesn't mean they'd never bite it.”

The other cars started moving then.

“People would have gotten hurt.”

“People are dying like flies in Africa, but you don't care about that. People are slaughtered in the Middle East. Millions of children are in the sex industry, and millions more are working instead of going to school to learn how to read. Is anyone stopping that on a large scale? Honestly? They're not, and you know it. You can target the lone wolves as much as you like, but nothing will change. The world is rotten to the core and nothing short of divine intervention will fix it quickly.”

“So you'd rather make it worse?”

“Am I?” Brad smirked. “Would your amateur team have killed the Elders without us turning on them?”

“Would Takatori have become prime minister without you?”

“Far more plausible of the two. He had ambition and money, that's often enough. Our involvement certainly made it easier for him to live that long.”

Ran snorted.

“Aw, are we still upset, kitty cat? The guy didn't even mourn his sons. Just the daughter. I doubt you meant jack shit to him.”

“Yeah, he said as much,” Ran muttered.

Brad stroked his hair. “Poor kitty.”

Ran sighed and glared at his socked feet.

“Are you going to do that job with us?”

“Yeah, I think so,” Ran answered. “I like doing something, not just sitting around.”

“Good, we have a lot going on right now. We took some big losses when the Elders were disposed of and the majority of our personnel is stationed in Europe anyway.”

“Aren't some of your people mad at you guys for that?”

“I'm sure they would be if we had allowed any sympathizers to live.”

“But they were in charge? Who's in charge now?”

“Such a curious kitten.” Ran caught the warning in the tone of voice Brad used and shut up.

When they finally pulled up to a residential area and parked in a lot Ran was glad to be there, wherever they were. There was nobody around that Ran could see.

“We're here. Stay put, kiddo.”

Ran opened his door and sat on the seat sideways since he was reluctant to put his feet on the cold ground. The older man came around to Ran's side of the car.

“Let's get you inside.” Brad once again carried him so he wouldn't have to walk on the cold ground. This time piggyback, which wasn't halfway as embarrassing.

Brad was just a few inches taller, but he had a lot more muscle mass and not the kind that was just for show. He'd noticed it plenty of times before, but it hit home better when his own weight seemed to mean nothing to the older man.

He was put on his feet inside and given a pair of guest slippers. The floor, while littered with items, was clean. All surfaces seemed somewhat clean, but that could be because they were never exposed to dust since there was always things on them.

The place looked like any bachelor pad. Ran frowned, because clearly Schuldig was a neat freak compared to the rest of them. He had always expected Schuldig to be like Youji. Not that Youji didn't clean, he just preferred to trick the two youngest into doing it for him.

Nagi came up to them and started talking to Brad, so Ran moved away from the two. He started cleaning the mess in the kitchen, which was dirty on top of messy. He always felt better when he was doing something, and standing around awkwardly wasn't his thing.

The youngest member of Schwarz shuffled into the kitchen just as he was finishing up. The shadow that had studied him clean quickly made itself scarce. “Brad's going to let Farfarello out. They're going to work out and then they'll be back when Farfarello has calmed a bit.” His hoarse voice sounded like it would give out altogether any minute.

The door to the kitchen shut itself. Nagi sat down by the table and rubbed his face.

“I could start dinner if you want,” Ran offered. Deciding that Nagi's sore throat needed tea he started boiling water while he considered what to cook. It would be one more thing to keep himself busy with.

Nagi shrugged.

“Anything you guys don't eat?”

“Not really. If we eat at home I usually make stir fry or we just eat sandwiches,” Nagi answered. “Brad's a good cook, but he never bothers to unless he's homesick. Schuldig cooks German food, but he's never here anymore.”

Ran looked over the pantry and the fridge. “Why did he move out?” There was a lot of random ingredients, some items labeled in foreign he wasn't even sure what they were. Others he knew, but couldn't figure out how to match them into something that wouldn't end up tasting weird.

“Life crisis? He realized he had never had his own place, and boom, Schuldig moves out in less time than it takes me to get dressed in the morning. I got to give it to the guy, he's never boring to be around.” Nagi slumped over the table and rested his head on his crossed arms. He roused when Ran placed a steaming mug of tea on the table and thanked him.

He started cooking after that, deciding that if Brad and Farfarello were working out he had more than enough time to make dumplings. He figured they ate a lot of food, so he'd have to make quite a few, and then he could just fry them when the others were back. Plenty of things to do.

“Are you always so domestic?” Nagi asked between sips of tea.

Ran snorted. “No. I just don't know what else I could be doing.”

“Pity,” Nagi lamented. “We could use a live-in maid.”

“And yet you have no idea why Schuldig moved out...”

Nagi rolled his eyes.

 

 


	13. Family Dinner

When he got back to Brad's place he found the kitten eating with his team. “Aw, look at you guys being all domestic,” he snickered as he served himself. “If I leave Ran here a few days the place might actually be livable again.”

“You could just move back,” Brad muttered darkly.

Ran stiffened at that. Lover upset? No good. “ _Chill. You'd get to stay with me_ ,” he sent telepathically. It was unusual to honestly care. Still, he liked new experiences.

“You're such a ray of sunshine today, Brad,” Farfarello noted.

“I like living in my own place.” Schuldig squeezed a chair in next to Ran and found a pair of chopsticks before he took his plate and sat down.

“I don't like having the team split up,” Brad said. “I keep worrying something will happen to you.”

“I'm a big boy,” Schuldig snickered.

“I should get my own place by that logic,” Farfarello said. “I'd decorate it in red.”

“You would die from dehydration in less than a week,” Brad grumbled.

“Maybe it would be good to live alone,” Nagi croaked.

“Not you too,” Brad growled. For some reason he was in full Mother Bear mode, and it seemed to have something to do with the kitten. He didn't try to dig in Brad's head. He could, but it was sweeter when Brad let him.

Schuldig sighed. “It's got nothing to do with work, Brad. We just need more space so that we're not at each other's throats all day long and we don't exactly have that here. Not to mention it's way out in the middle of nowhere.”

“Suppose we move then, what would make you assholes stick together?” Brad asked, somewhere just a hairsbreadth short of openly hostile.

Schuldig gave it serious thought while Ran tried to mimic the furniture and disappear into the background. “You, Mr America, needs an office so that we can breathe around the place when the almighty Oracle works and not get snapped at. Or shot at. You nearly fucking shot me once, remember?”

“I want my own bathroom,” Nagi said. “I think we all do. Couldn't we just have apartments close by each other?”

“I can't recommend it,” Ran butted in. He shrugged and focused on his food when all of Schwarz looked at him. Schuldig stroked his back comfortingly to not discourage him from talking again.

“Why not?” Nagi asked softly. He had taken Schuldig's clue and seemed more curious than anything.

“It'll be easier to avoid people that way,” Ran replied.

“True, you'd be less likely to care much about the others if you only see them at work. Which is why I like this dinner thing,” Farfarello said. “We should do this more. Also, I usually calm down on my own if you asses give me some time instead of always sedating me.”

“Can we have pets?” Schuldig asked. “You know Nagi wants a pet.”

Brad was listening. While stabbing his food to death. As a team leader in Eszett he never _had to_ listen to any criticism. He could just pull rank or tell them to shove it, but Brad was different from most of the other Eszett officers. It didn't always sit right with him to cater to their whims, but Brad was a good guy somewhere in the depths of his soul and he tried to make things work out. Albeit most of the time very reluctantly, with a lot of threats and quite a bit of bitching.

It wasn't unusual for him to go out of his way to make their lives better, but he also set up clear lines that were never to be crossed. They respected that, and respect was unusual in Eszett. Enough so that Schwarz was deemed one of the best teams just based on how well they operated together. There were certainly stronger talents grouped together, but no team had a track record like Schwarz. No team had managed to clean out an unwanted fraction without raising suspicion.

Schuldig had led a team once, but he had met Brad and they had become friends. And Brad was after a telepath back then. It had seemed a simple choice. The downside was that they were the same rank. They had to agree, even if Schuldig yielded out of principle most times. The team leader had to be the one to actually lead. He knew that and he wasn't about to undermine Brad. Brad had to be the one to make sure they stayed a close-knit team.

“I like pets,” Farfarello pointed out innocently, jolting Schuldig out of his musings with the gory images the other man suddenly focused fondly on. It made him slightly queasy.

“Far! I'm eating, you dickwad,” Schuldig complained.

“Oh yes, you like pets. Just in all the wrong ways... which is why I keep saying no,” Brad sighed. “Someone has to be the adult around here.”

“I thought that was Nagi's job,” Ran quipped.

“Yeah, since Mom left us,” Nagi said perfectly serious. Schuldig knew Nagi took after Brad too much to really be an adult. He left things everywhere and rarely cleaned unless Schuldig threatened death and torture. They all knew he at least followed through on the torture part. Slobs they might be, but they were also useful assets.

Schuldig grinned at Brad's frosty glare.

“I hate you all.” Brad leaned back in his chair. “Alright, so we're looking for a house or an abandoned student dorm. Or a winning lottery ticket that buys us an island an a private jet.”

Schuldig shrugged. He knew Brad would find them something. He wanted the team gathered so he had to compromise, and he would.

Nagi and Farfarello left to do their preferred downtime activity. Video games. They were evenly matched too.

Schuldig finished his food before he got bitched at. Brad rinsed his own plate and placed it in the dishwasher, but then went back to his seat.

“How was class?” he asked in a much more friendly tone.

“Okay, I guess,” Schuldig shrugged. “I'm more excited about the next one, we're getting a guest lecture from some British woman. Do I have to dig in your head to figure out what has you off today? You're being all Bitchy McBitch.”

“I keep getting visions of you all dying. Just not exactly how, or what the trigger is.”

“Us, not you?”

Brad nodded sharply. “Yeah, I'm never there; I just find the corpses. I've had a few of you, and in every one of them kitty cat there is the second body I find, except he's not dead, just obviously dying.”

“How far off?”

“No idea. Close, but not date-specific.”

Ran was suddenly very sympathetic. Precognition was a cruel gift, often showing disasters and death rather than the cozier aspects of life. Few people realized that on their own, so it came as no surprise that the kitten hadn't thought of it until now.

“Want us to stay tonight?” Schuldig asked.

Brad relaxed a little. “Yeah. You're out of a bed though since you brought yours with you when you moved.”

“So? Yours will fit like, twenty. If you're nice to my cat he might even let you cuddle. I'll have you know we have made great progress in the cuddling department.”

Ran huffed, but it was good-natured.

Brad reached out and stroked one of Ran's ears.

“Wanna see something cool later?” Schuldig asked Brad.

“What?”

“I can make him come without being near him.”

Ran blushed and squirmed. “Don't,” he mumbled.

“When did you learn that?” Brad asked.

“Meh, been doing it during sex for a while, only tried it for kicks. Kitten likes it.”

“I'm thinking we should do another evaluation on you,” Brad mused. “You're getting a lot stronger and more technically proficient than you were when I recruited you.”

“If you say so,” Schuldig shrugged. He played it cool, but he really was thrilled that Brad noticed.

“And I would love to see it.” Brad traced Ran's jaw with a finger. “I bet you would make a pretty picture.”

 

 


	14. "Kritiker Put Tracking Chips In You And Your Sister. I Want Them Out."

An alarm clock woke him up at some ungodly hour Schuldig usually never woke at. Ran heard a thump followed by a crash and reluctantly opened his eyes.

“God damned Americans,” Schuldig muttered, and Ran realized he had thrown a pillow at Brad's alarm clock.

“Seeing morning light would be good for you,” Brad chided. He was already mostly dressed and putting socks on. Ran knew they'd all slept in the same bed, but he was still a little surprised when he saw Brad.

“Wake me up at one, unless you plan on making me pancakes for breakfast,” Schuldig groaned.

“Spoiled brat,” Brad said affectionately.

“Bitch, bitch, bitch,” Schuldig said with sleepy smile. “I swear you Americans are either health freaks or beach balls. Learn some balance, we're in the magical East Asia. Find that Zen, or whatever. Sleep in once a year.”

“I'm stealing your kitten for a few hours. He needs to see the doc. I made some sense of all the death and gore visions.”

“Tell me later, I'm comfy and not in the mood for gore,” Schuldig mumbled and burrowed under the covers.

Ran sighed and got up. “I'll need a minute.”

“Clean is more important than dressed, you'll be taking it all off and have minor surgery.”

Stopping dead in his tracks Ran swallowed a whine before it escaped.

“You'll be fine, Red, hurry up,” Brad said calmly.

Ran sighed and decided that he might as well accept that his life was not in his hands, and never had been for that matter. He showered and dressed in clothes Brad impatiently handed him, likely Schuldig's, and deemed himself presentable.

Despite knowing that Ran could borrow shoes from Schuldig, Brad carried him to the car again. Whatever power game that was, it seemed deceptively harmless. Which meant it probably was anything but. He just couldn't figure it out. It made no sense.

“Why am I having surgery?” Ran asked when they were stuck in a car queue. Morning traffic in Tokyo sucked. He'd rather have whatever surgery he was going to have over with. Suspense was worse than pain.

“Kritiker put tracking chips in you and your sister. I want them out. I'm thinking there's more to them than we assumed.”

“Aya?” Ran asked in a mild state of panic.

“Relax, we took her the same day Schuldig found you. She's fine. I'll be surprised if Kritiker can track her down. The chips however, if I'm right, can kill from a signal or frequency sent from a distance.”

He grimaced. It shouldn't feel comforting that Schwarz had taken his sister the second Schuldig had found him. As if they suspected they'd do away with her like so much garbage. Or activate whatever those chips did. He was jaded enough to not be surprised by Kritiker's leash politics, but it didn't lessen the white-hot rage nor the sense of betrayal.

By the time they got there Ran had calmed down enough to not want to throw a tantrum. The doctor was the same one he had seen before, so he wasn't nervous about him. The middle-aged man greeted them both politely and led them into a room in the clinic part of his home.

“The girl is already taken care of. We sedated her for it, would you like me to do the same with the boy, Mr Crawford?”

Ran frowned. He hadn't missed being a child and having adults talk over his head.

“He won't freak out, he's seen talents before.” Brad nudged Ran to the operating table in the middle of the room.

“What talent?” Ran asked. He hadn't noticed the doctor using one before.

“Undress, if you will? All of it,” the doctor requested.

Ran took the clothes he had on off. He realized they weren't going to enlighten him. The terminology might not make sense to him anyway. Sometimes he heard Schuldig mutter while he used his talent, or while he was on the phone, and very little of it actually made sense.

Brad pushed him towards the table again and Ran laid down on it. “Make sure none of them are left.”

“Of course, Mr Crawford,” the doctor agreed smoothly. He dragged a gloved hand over Ran's skin. It wasn't a sexual touch, but Ran had to stop from shivering all the same. When the doctor's hand stopped he made a small cut with a scalpel and a small metal device floated out. Ran bit his jaws together to stop from screaming, but the small cuts weren't too bad. It burned and stung more than hurt. He had gotten hurt worse before.

It wasn't until they were done that Ran noticed he hadn't bled at all. The cuts were closed, little pink lines of healing skin were left behind. He experimentally poked one on his arm.

Brad stroked his hair. He looked up to see the older man following the work of the doctor, who was now busy doing something on Ran's back. Whatever it was, Ran felt relaxed and sleepy more than nervous. He hadn't slept as much as he should have.

Eventually he was allowed to dress.

“Would you like to see your sister now?” Brad asked smugly.

“Yes.” The reply was automatic, and he did want to see her, but he also didn't want to. Ran didn't want her to see who he had become. He wasn't the brother she remembered, and he could never be _that_ Ran again. The man he was now was not a good brother. He didn't even want to have a family. Family and friends were bound to be used against you. Held over your head. Like she had been. Logically speaking she was just a liability. No, the man he was now would have preferred to not have any links to his old life.

“Good, we'll go visit her. Just be warned that I'm not interested in having her around for too long, she'll be off to university the moment I have the papers cleared.”

Ran frowned, not sure how to reply. On one hand he wanted to be relieved that someone else was taking care of everything, on the other he hated how high handed Brad was.

“She'll be safe. Not to mention far away from danger. I don't need you worrying your pretty little head over her every day.”

Practical. He had to remember that Brad was nothing if not practical. Still frowning he nodded. It made sense and he couldn't deny that, but he didn't enjoy having his hand forced – or having her forced to do something she might not want. But what else was there? She needed an education and she needed to be as far away from him as possible so she didn't sneak away to see him. The last thing he needed was for her to pop in on him while he was busy.

“You'll see,” Brad smirked, “it'll work out.”

“I think I hate that talent of yours.”

Brad was still smirking, and he threw an arm around Ran's shoulders and led him back to the garage where the car was parked.

He had neglected seeing his sister. He did not trust Kritiker, not in the slightest, but he trusted Sakura. Since Aya was with her and her family, he had deemed it sufficient.

“Wait,” Ran said, suddenly sure he absolutely did not want to see his sister.

“No, you need this. Trust me. You need to trust me to do what's best for you. Do you really think I treat my team poorly? You're important to Schuldig, which means I will make sure you're alright. Do you trust me to take care of Schuldig?”

Ran nodded.

“Do you trust me to take care of you, then?”

“I guess.”

“I know it's not easy, but if you don't trust me you'll never be able to work with us. You need to take orders from me even if they sound weird, because chances are they won't make sense until after. I need you to follow orders when I give them at all costs.”

“I don't do well with authority figures.”

Brad moved to hug him from behind. “Neither does Schuldig. I don't care if you show initiative and get things done. Talk back. Argue. It's fine. I don't mind giving you a long enough leash that you never feel the collar. I already have three people on my team who need to be guided more than controlled, I'm used to it.”

Ran nodded. When he got a kiss on his temple he closed his eyes.

 

 


	15. Praise

Miracle of miracles, Oracle had given him an actual assignment that didn't involve any questionable activities. What Manx got out of it, he had no idea, but she had seemed okay with it. Probably cold hard cash if he knew Kritiker right. Youji liked the more investigative nature of it all, despite working for Oracle. He downright refused to see it as working for Eszett. It hadn't been that difficult to snoop around, and he'd written up a report like asked after a set period of time.

They met up at a hotel bar. Youji waited and drank beer while the foreigner read through his report. Youji assumed the foreigner's glass contained whiskey. He did seem the posh type. It was a nice bar too, not one of the seedy ones Youji frequented. They were at a table with comfortable armchairs. The room was dimly lit and decorated in mostly wood and earthen colors. People spoke in hushed voices and the background music was some type of nature sound mixed with piano. Sophisticated. It seemed to agree with the foreigner.

Youji felt removed from the rest of the world, in a little bubble. He wondered if rich people purposefully created environments that specifically did that.

“Good job.”

“Thanks,” he said automatically, if a little surprised. It shouldn't feel so good to be praised. It should be illegal to feel accomplished just because Brad fucking Crawford casually tells you that you did an okay job. Youji hated himself. He felt like a love-starved puppy.

Not going there.

So not going there.

“Oh dear, did I make you blush?” Oracle asked him softly in an amused voice, eyes glittering menacingly. He swirled the liquid in his glass.

“Just tell me what the next step is,” Youji bit out.

“A medical exam. Kritiker has put tracking chips in all of you, and they aren't as harmless as one could assume. We will have yours removed tomorrow.” Oracle handed him a business card with a time and date on the back.

“Alright. This is a residential area. Is this guy an actual doctor?” Youji asked.

“He is licensed, yes. He might have a few extra tricks in his bag though,” Oracle replied. He had a sly smile, and for once his eyes seemed to be just as amused. “Nothing to worry about, he has very good bedside manners. Ran nearly fell asleep when we tended to him.”

“So Aya's fine. And then?”

“She is. Someone will meet you there and take you to one of our facilities so you can compare notes on the beings we're chasing. I'd leave the car somewhere and use public transport if I were you. After _that_ , you'll continue and bring me reports once a week.”

“Can I see Aya, I mean, Ran?”

“Eventually. I don't mean to keep him from having friends.”

“What does Schwarz want with him?”

“Schuldig,” Oracle corrected quickly, “wants him. I'm simply indulging my best asset on the team.”

“And you're going to let him keep Aya as, what, a sex toy?”

“Oh, he's no mere toy, and he's quite willing to stay. I offered to take him back to Kritiker and he refused. Schuldig is treating him with kid gloves. As for the sex, well, that's consensual. Schuldig claims it's more exciting when people voluntarily do things he wants them to.”

Youji frowned, he couldn't believe the telepath of all people was capable of being kind or gentle. There might not be physical force applied, but he had no doubt Aya was being manipulated.

Oracle had, sometime during the conversation, finished his drink. Youji found himself unwilling to leave, he liked it there. He'd have to remember to come to this place without Oracle so he could fully relax.

“Why are you with Kritiker?” Oracle asked suddenly.

“I got in trouble with the law and they... saved me. Supposedly. I'm not so sure, the cops had nothing on me, but I played along. Weiss seemed better when they pitched the idea than when I was in the reality of it.” Youji paused. “Why are you with Eszett?”

“My father had a team once, a long way back. He talked about it from time to time. I joined after I'd gone through military training because I had nothing else going on and it seemed like a logical next step. It was more exciting than playing the stock market.”

“I had expected a sob story.”

Oracle smiled patiently. “A lot of people join us simply because they will be able to use their talents, Schuldig included. Nagi and Farfarello are exceptions in that they weren't given a choice.”

“Did Nagi tell the truth? He didn't know about Aya?”

“Yes, and mark my words, I will kill you _slowly and painfully_ if you approach him again. The boy is under my protection, do not assume I won't retaliate if he's hurt.”

“We just asked him questions.” Youji hid a yawn in his hand.

“How much do you sleep these days?” Oracle changed the subject with a cruel smirk.

“Not much,” Youji admitted. “They're everywhere.”

“No, they're not,” Oracle murmured. “We've narrowed down the spread. It's local to Tokyo. More specifically, they form a perfect circle.”

“Around what?”

“Not what. _Who_ ,” Oracle said softly, amused eyes glittering in the low light. “They're following a person. We're relatively sure, they possessed a telepath and have started to communicate. They can't speak as such and it's near impossible to understand them, but we have people who work around the clock to figure it all out.”

“Do you really need me to do this, then? It seems you're doing well on your own.”

“I will eventually need you, yes. You're a key to this, somehow, even if I'm not yet sure exactly how. Right now? No, I don't need you. You're useful and you're freeing up time from people who desperately need it to do more important things.”

Youji nodded.

“If I offered a night without the little beasts, would you take it?” Oracle mused, almost to himself.

Fish, meet bait. It was tempting to just ignore the consequences and say yes. “Depends. I'm not a whore.”

“Your file says differently, and right now I'm your commanding officer.”

Youji blanched. “It doesn't matter what my file says -”

“You're right,” Oracle agreed. He looked to smug for his own good.

“It's almost funny how you can say one thing and make it sound like the complete opposite.”

Oracle smiled. “It's almost funny you'd follow a teenager instead of taking charge.”

“I'm not a leader.”

“I know.” Oracle rose from his chair and took the paperwork with him. He grabbed Youji's chin with his free hand to force him to look up, into those eyes. “I also know you _need_ to follow, but I'm not cruel. I can let you figure that out on your own.”

Youji rubbed his chin when Oracle left.

His commanding officer.

He was so screwed.

 

 


	16. Brad So Needed To Go Digital. Precognition 2.0.

He sucked on his second cigarette that morning, a lot more than he normally had, while he packed his things into boxes. It took very little time, Schuldig didn't keep a lot of possessions save for three boxes of clothes and one for the pictures, books and electronic toys. He looked around and considered himself done. He'd give the landlord a bit of money so he could skip out of cleaning the place himself.

Brad was actually phenomenal at cleaning when he could be convinced to do it. He knew all the little tidbits of information, like how to remove the grease on the stove or how to polish an old mirror. Schuldig swore by all-in-one products, but Brad was more of an old school matron. Not that it mattered much since the only person who willingly cleaned was Schuldig.

He kept seeing whisps of air moving, shadows in the corner of his eyes, a scattered chattering he could only hear with his talent. They approached, but then went away, over and over, the chatter sounded as if something was missing and they tried to figure it out. Ran probably. He had seen them flock around Ran like he was the world's savior. Maybe he was. Schuldig had seen enough shit in his life to not outright discard the idea.

Nagi helped him carry the boxes to a rented van, and after that Schuldig settled with his landlord while Nagi waited in the passenger seat. The shadow-things tried to goad a dog into following them, which made him laugh. Thankfully Nagi was used to him.

Schuldig drove them to the safe house so they could pack that up as well. That was a lot more boxes, with Brad's things surprisingly enough being the hardest to move due to the sheer amount of notes, files and computers. Farfarello had packed his stuff already, all two boxes of it, because he hated people touching his things. Schuldig thought Brad would do well to develop that quirk.

The biggest perk of having a precog, discounting the clutter of notebooks and handmade calendars that followed, was that they never had to jump ship in a hurry. They could always bring their stuff and they always had a place ready when it was time to move. Some days they had more time than others, but Schuldig had never had to leave things behind since he joined up with Brad. It was a nice perk to someone forced into a nomadic life.

“Are you gonna be okay with my cat?” Schuldig asked the boy. If he talked he didn't have to focus on the creatures whispering things. Not that they were malicious, it was just unnerving.

“Sure,” Nagi said disinterestedly. “I don't exactly have a choice there, though.”

“And the sister?”

“Sure,” Nagi repeated. “It'll be odd, having a girl around.”

“A cute girl,” Schuldig said with a suggestive wink.

“I _have_ seen her face before, thank you. Killing me would be the kindest thing Abyssinian would do if I laid a hand on her.”

“Don't be silly. He'd kill you first and then remember to torture you.” Schuldig snickered. “Besides, he's not as focused on her as people think. He left her for weeks and months in that hospital sometimes.”

“Still not touching her. You and Crawford collect crazy people,” the boy huffed.

“Yeah yeah, we picked you up, after all,” Schuldig winked.

Nagi rolled his eyes while carrying a box off to the van. He left the heavier boxes to Schuldig, because being a tawny street kid he still lacked a lot of the muscle mass even girlish little Bombay sported. He could cheat and use his talent, but both Brad and Schuldig were clear in their warnings that he needed some muscle on him. It wouldn't do to have a hard wind tip him over if his talent failed him.

When the last box was packed Schuldig managed to fit it inside the van with just two centimeters to spare. So Brad had insisted on that number of boxes for a reason, huh? Damned precogs. He leaned against the vehicle to relax for a minute. He was tired and sore from all the heavy lifting, and he was glad they never brought furniture. He hoped the only exception would be that he had moved his bed when he got his own apartment. It just wasn't worth it to lug furniture around. He flexed his fingers to feel where the edges of the cardboard had dug in. Cutting holes for handles was probably practical for the manufacturing companies, but it was murder when you had to lug the things around fully packed.

Brad so needed to go digital. Precognition 2.0. All the guy needed was the calender in MS Outlook anyway, Schuldig could totally see it being enough for Brad.

Nagi handed him a bottle of water and he downed most of it in one go. “Thanks.”

“You're welcome. We should get going.”

“Why has the day barely even begun? I would love a beer and some downtime right about now,” Schuldig sighed. “Cuddly kitten and some good food.”

Nagi ignored him, looking at the van. “You're driving, right?”

“I taught you how,” Schuldig tried to wheedle, but the van was bigger than Nagi was used to and he gave in when the boy panicked. “Fine, I'll drive, stop screaming in my head. Can you bring my car? I have to pick my kitten up later and not going back here would save at least an hour.”

“If you're sure.” Nagi caught the keys when he tossed them.

“Scratch it and die,” he threatened lightly. Nagi was always very careful with his car, but he liked making sure. He had a reputation to uphold.

He got into the van and started it up. Driving was always interesting in Tokyo, but if you knew your way around it was doable. Schuldig groaned when something toyed with his phone. Like he didn't miss the kitten too. “Yes, dumbfuck! The guy will show up soon so hold your fucking horses.”

Eszett knew something was up with his kitten. Something big and very related to the pests pretending to be poltergeists. Meaning they had given orders to kick back and see where it went. Schuldig wasn't so sure keeping watch was a smart move, Ran would make a move when alone, if he even knew what move to make.

 

 


	17. Flower Shop

Schuldig drove him to the flower shop. They waited in the car for a while. Mostly because Ran was worried sick over how it would go and couldn't find the will to move. He might be done with Kritiker, but Weiss were still his friends and he was worried about their reaction.

“Just Ken and the new guy,” Schuldig said. “Might as well do it now, scaredy cat.”

Ran got out of the car. He was still apprehensive, but when Schuldig playfully shoved him with a shoulder he started walking. It was comforting to have the foreigner with him. He never thought he'd live to see the day when Schuldig was the one he wanted to lean on.

The bell chimed, but the shop was empty. It looked the same as always. Nothing ever changed, just him. He always ended up different. He had the odd sense of coming home, but squashed it down.

“I'm coming,” Ken shouted from the back room.

“We have all day, Siberian,” Schuldig shouted back. He kicked an empty zinc pot, it clattered across the floor.

“Don't make a mess,” Ran admonished softly, then remembered he wouldn't have to clean it up.

“Hey, are you from Kritiker?” the new guy came out asking all smiles and casual cheer.

It had to be the new guy, but Ran did a double take. “I know you,” he said quietly. Schuldig snaked an arm around his shoulders, either holding him in place or protecting him. It grounded him enough that he wasn't a hairsbreadth away from committing murder. Ken came out of the storeroom in time to see Schuldig's arm go around him.

“Schuldich!” Ken looked pissed, but nowhere near as angry as Ran felt. “Let Aya go.”

Schuldig scoffed. “I'm holding him back, if anything. Your new friend locked Aya here up in a basement. Poor kitten was almost dead when I found him. So, he's _my_ kitty now.”

The new guy stiffened at that.

Ken looked between them. His eyes settled on Ran. “Is that true, Aya?”

“Yes,” Ran confirmed. “I thought he was another goon so I charged him, we fought and I ended up being trapped in a basement room. I tried calling before the phone died, but none of you picked up.”

He managed that without sounding pissed off, but the accusation was still clear. Really, they could have gotten him out the same night it happened.

Ken scratched the back of his neck. “Omi switched the phones to silent. He thought you just wanted to chew him out. Honestly we thought since we got a new guy that Kritiker had reassigned you.”

Ran bit the inside of his cheek. Of course they would assume he would leave first, but had they really thought he'd go without a word? They'd been dysfunctional, he had thought about leaving so many times he'd lost count.

Schuldig laughed then. “Oh, I love this. You didn't even look for him?”

Ken looked miserable. “It's not like that, we -”

“Didn't even look for him,” Schuldig gloated. “It took _me_ asking about him before you figured out he was even missing. Brilliant.”

“Let's just go,” Ran said. Schuldig might thrive on awkward and embarrassing, but he didn't.

“Aw, but I'm having so much fun tormenting him,” Schuldig complained. “Besides, we can come back after lunch when we can talk to the rest of the kitties.”

Ran nodded stiffly, because whatever meant leaving was fine, and walked out with Schuldig hot on his heels.

He got into the car, and Schuldig was quiet while they drove off. It took him a while to digest everything. Schuldig drove them around in Tokyo, seemingly with no goal in mind. Ran was too torn up to be hungry, but he dutifully ate when they stopped to get some fresh air and Schuldig bought them baked potatoes from a street vendor.

“Won't they call Kritiker and cause all kinds of trouble if we go back now?” Ran threw the trash from the meal away. He felt better after having eaten.

“Unlike Kritiker's little lost kittens, the big bad wolves of Eszett hunt in packs,” Schuldig grinned. “Brad will meet us there and he's got Nagi and Farfarello with him. Don't worry.”

Ran fiddled with the hem of his shirt, he often forgot that Schuldig could communicate with his team without anything showing outward. “What's going to happen?” he asked hesitantly. The wind was chilly enough that he wanted to go home and sleep. Not that he necessarily had a home.

“I'm not the precog. Do you want to go back to them? Be Weiss again?” Schuldig frowned when Ran didn't answer immediately. “I don't want you to. You're not theirs anymore, you're mine and I intend to keep you. I won't force you, but you're _mine_.”

“Look, I'm not going back to Kritiker. I just would have liked it if they had missed me a little. Or, you know, looked for me.”

Schuldig smiled his approval. “You're better off with us. Brad doesn't leave people behind unless it's as punishment. I don't think he'll do that again to be honest. Nagi was so distraught he cried an entire night when Tot died. Some for her, mostly because he thought we left him.”

“We thought he was dead. Youji felt really bad for him.”

“Nah. Kinetics pass out cold if they use too much power. It's a state of suspended animation. They just seem dead.”

“What is Brad's deal with carrying people?”

“Oh no, it's just you. The rest of us chose the blindfold.” Schuldig had a quirky smile on his lips. “There's a long list of tests you can do to to see how new recruits handle following orders. Brad picked the weirdest ones. Pretty sure he gets kicks out of it somehow. What's important isn't the choice, it's the reaction.”

Ran shrugged.

“If it matters, I know for a fact that you passed. Let's go.”

The car was cool when they entered, but Schuldig had the AC turned to hot before Ran even had his seatbelt on. Ran stole the phone from Schuldig when the other man took it out.

“Oh, come on,” he complained. “Get your own.”

“You should focus on driving,” Ran chided lightly.

Schuldig huffed, then drove off at a speed Ran was sure was at least double the speed limit. “Driving it is!”

It was surreal watching other cars get out of the way so that Schuldig could keep a decent speed. The part of him that was still young enough to be impressed by the stunt was thrilled, while his sensible side cowered in a corner. He felt his heart speed up and adrenaline sharpen his focus.

They took a few shortcuts and was back at the flower shop in record time. Schuldig parked the car illegally in the middle of the street, and Ran could see Brad's car just a short distance away. Also parked as if he owned the street they were on.

When they got out Brad dragged Ran a few steps aside. “Are you just staying with Schuldig, or are you going to work with us? I need to know now even if Schuldig doesn't.”

Ran hesitated. He was already in the deep end of the pool, did he accept switching sides knowing there would be no turning back after this? Was he going to slip away from Kritiker to get caught up in something worse? Was there even a choice to be made?

“It's a job offer, not a marriage proposal, so stop fretting.”

Ran nodded. “Alright.” There was nowhere else to go, no obvious alternative. “Bet you knew that already too,” he added.

“For a while now,” Brad smirked cockily at him. He handed Ran a loaded gun. “You won't need it today, but I like having a Plan B. Run along to your owner now, kitty cat.”

Ran walked up to Schuldig who threw an arm around his shoulders. His own arm went around Schuldig's back, the other hanging loosely at his side with the gun in his hand. Schuldig's blond head fell forward slightly and Ran saw how focused he looked. Suddenly the flower shop was thrown into chaos as all the underage schoolgirls rushed out in a panic and joined the crowd.

And there was a crowd. Uncharacteristically Schuldig wasn't preventing civilian passersby from noticing anything untoward. Usually when they were in the open he would make people ignore the fight and simply walk away. At least Ran assumed it had been him, humans were curious and often wanted to watch even the most macabre events. A lot of people had gathered on the sidewalks when Weiss stepped out of the shop followed by a Kritiker liaison.

The soft metallic clank of Brad pushing a new magazine into his own gun was dulled by the murmurs of the curious onlookers. Some of them recognized Ran as one of the boys from the flower shop. He heard someone calling the police. There were an annoying amount of smartphones visible.

“Doesn't Eszett care about exposure?”

Schuldig smirked. “What for? We're not the Police Department's illegal black op.”

Nagi tossed a small plastic bag on the pavement between the two teams. Ran could see a few small objects in it, frowning when he recognized the chips they had removed from him. There were more than he remembered, so some of them could have been in his sister. It still seemed to be too many. The movement went mostly unnoticed, when nothing bad happened the people who had noticed ignored it.

“Tell your telepath to let Aya go!” Ken shouted to Brad.

“I don't take orders from you,” Brad said calmly. “He wants to stay and we don't mind keeping him.”

“Are they another Kritiker team?” the new guy asked Omi.

“No,” Omi answered emphatically. “They're trouble.”

“You know who we are,” Brad said, his tone a little too casual.

“I've _heard of_ you. That's it.”

“Can we get back to the fact that the freaks have Aya?” Ken asked frantically and pointed to Ran.

“He looks like he's rather willing to stay put,” the liaison pointed out. Ran tried to remember her name, but it was lost to him. Manx and Birman he knew, but this one he couldn't remember seeing before.

“Rex,” Schuldig whispered in his ear. “You've met her. Cold bitch, but it's mostly an act.”

“You really don't know what that guy is capable of,” Omi nearly growled at the liaison.

“Yeah, we need to get him away _now_.” Ken stepped closer to Rex.

Schuldig nuzzled closer to him, probably to piss Weiss off even more. Schuldig was warm, like he always was. It took effort not to nuzzle back.

“I'm not going back to Kritiker,” Ran said. He didn't like discussing this so openly. Didn't like being stared at by the crowd.

“See? Clearly he's made up his mind,” the liaison told Ken. She put her phone to her ear. It didn't take a full minute for the objects in the bag Nagi had tossed earlier to pop and sizzle.

“What were those?” Omi asked. “Was that what I think? It had better not be.”

“Aw, you just killed little Aya,” Schuldig pouted. “What did she ever do to you?”

“It should have killed him too,” the liaison said coldly.

Ran glared at the smoking remains of the objects. Remembering all the times he had walked away and knowing what they could have done to him, to his sister, was enough to make his heart skip a beat from how angry he was.

“We brought the kitty to a doctor,” Schuldig said. “He was rather alarmed to find those things. Good thing I had him checked for nasties. You never know what a stray might have caught.”

“We'll take the cat and leave,” Brad said. “I'm sure your organization can find some other depressed teen and twist him or her to fit your purposes. They're little more than toys to you anyway. Call us freaks all you like, but I don't treat my people like dogs.”

Brad took a step forward so that Schwarz was behind him. He motioned for them to get to the cars. Schuldig dragged Ran with him while Nagi cleared enough space for them to drive off.

They split up while they drove away, but Ran soon noticed Brad's car pulling up in front of them in the highway lane.

“You memorized the plate when he drove you before,” Schuldig noted.

“Also noticed the white-haired foreigner in the back. What was that about?”

“You joined Schwarz, we made sure they knew.” Schuldig followed the other car off to a residential area. “Can't have them thinking we're keeping you under duress. Well, Weiss will think you were brainwashed. No helping that. Also, it'll be in the grapevine. If any one of our connections know you from Weiss they'll know that you're with us now.” Schuldig frowned. “I wonder where Balinese is.”

“Where are we going?”

“Brad got us a new safe house.”

“Crawford works fast, huh?”

Schuldig grinned. “Yes, he does. Dangle a carrot and he'll accomplish anything. Or in this case, a telepath. Our stuff is there already, courtesy of yours truly.”

“You mean your stuff?”

“Mm. No. Farfarello broke in while we were at the shop earlier and grabbed odds and ends from your room. They boxed it up when the new guy moved in so it wasn't much of a chore for him. And I picked up your sword earlier. As good as new, by the way. Not that Brad will let you use it much.”

“Figures,” Ran muttered and fingered the gun he still held. “I'm not sure I want any of my old things.” Finding Schuldig's phone he swapped songs. He really liked this compared to the silence when he rode with Brad.

“So, toss it out. I think you'll want the pictures of your family, though. You okay?”

He shrugged. “Not really. Who's the guy? Brad seemed to know him.”

“Nobody important, from an Eszett point of view. Just a gang member. We cozy up to the big fish, other teams recruit eyes and ears on the street. Brad keeps track, I mostly just stay out of it.” Schuldig turned to face him when they hit a red light. “You thinking of killing him?”

Ran shook his head. “Yes. No. I want to, but the dead don't suffer.”

Schuldig snickered. “No, they don't. I'm guessing Weiss will do a good job of giving him grief though.”

“They'd better,” Ran muttered. “They owe me that, at least.”

“Hey,” Schuldig said, “none of that emo stuff. You'll see. It'll be better with us.”

 

 


	18. More Work Than Pleasure

After his trip to the doctor – a sneaky fucker who had sedated him under the guise of giving a local anesthesia so that Eszett could easily move him to their secret lab after the procedure.

Eszett creeped him out less and less. A lot of the personnel was dressed in suits, but they seemed to do everything they could to stand out using hair color and accessories. Most of them were young, but there were a few middle-aged people around. They were all polite to him, and to each other. Always using honorifics and respectful tones.

After a bit of a talk with a scientist who was studying the possessed children Youji was told to wait in a small office. His head was so full of information he felt it might just explode all over the place in little gooey pieces. He's seen that once when Nagi went after a security guard. Clue 61 that Schwarz was not out to kill them. Brain matter was pink, by the way, not gray.

Clue 37 was his personal favorite. Schuldig had kicked his legs out from under him once to make a stray bullet miss Youji completely. As much as the telepath was a nuisance he had some damned smooth moves on him. Made him briefly wonder what the guy was like in bed. Had to be limber. Youji's brain supplied that so was Aya, probably.

He was not going there. Bad brain.

He felt a few painful cuts from his doctor's visit, but they were mostly healed already. Not freaky at all, no sir. It didn't help that they itched like mosquito bites. He knew better than to scratch, but the temptation was killing him. He slouched in the chair and had his feet on the desk.

Oracle walked in not fifteen minutes later. Seeing the foreigner again didn't bother him too much. He was busy scratching at a scabbed cut on his arm. He never had done well against temptations.

“Let me see,” Oracle said. It wasn't a question or a suggestion, no, that was an _order_. Youji held his arm out and prided himself in not shying away when it was grabbed. “Ran heals quicker,” the older man noted.

“Wait, you keep using his real name. He lets _you guys_ call him Ran?” Youji was shocked. Aya hadn't even told them his name until the debacle at the museum. And it hadn't even been them he had told, it had been Sakura. Youji knew he wasn't the best friend a guy could have, but was he really such an ass Aya couldn't even trust him with his real name?

“Mm. Sweet kid, likes hugs,” Oracle said smugly, and Youji hated him from the bottom of his soul. He had no right to get cozy with Aya. “It's almost evening. Time to go to bed.”

Youji didn't have time to reply before he felt himself sag down and everything faded. How did Oracle get a needle in him?

He slowly came to, groggy and disorientated, in what looked like a hotel. He became aware of a new assortment of different minor pains and aches. The business was not glamorous, nothing like in the movies where people just shrugged off injuries. Some injuries hurt even after they'd healed. Some hurt when it rained, some would cause a phantom pain when he heard gunfire.

It wasn't his bed. Not even Kudoh Youji was this decadent. Thankfully he didn't hurt in _that_ way, or he would have worried. He heard a faint tapping sound, like someone using a computer keyboard.

He had, despite knowing it to be stupid, been hoping for Omi. Someone friendly or at least someone he knew. He certainly hadn't wanted to see Oracle typing away on a laptop. Youji tried to sit up, but gave up and allowed himself to sink down into the bed again.

“Bad kitty,” Oracle reprimanded gently. “The drug will wear off soon.”

“I am not your kitty,” Youji growled.

“Are you sure?” Oracle asked. He pointed towards his own neck in a way that made Youji nervous.

Youji brought his hand up and felt a collar. Wonderful. “What the fuck are you playing at?”

“Kritiker sold you to Eszett, you know. Want to know how much you're actually worth, Balinese?”

Youji paled.

“They want to remake Weiss, or so my telepath tells me, and they didn't need you. Or Ran.”

“Bull.”

Oracle shrugged.

“Bullshit.”

Youji felt both ignored and dismissed when the foreigner went back to typing without sniping back at him. He didn't want to believe it, but at the same time he wasn't surprised. Kritiker wasn't exactly a friendly gathering of peace-loving hippies. When he tried to sit up a second time he managed much better, he even got to the bathroom without incident. He spent as much time as he could doing his business and taking a long shower, but eventually he had to leave his sanctuary and face the foreigner.

Who was still ignoring Youji in favor of his laptop.

It shouldn't feel bad to have that asshole ignore him like he was air, so he firmly told himself he didn't care. Youji went back to bed, it was late in the night and he saw no reason to be up just to watch Oracle work on his computer.

“What's your name anyway?” Youji asked when his curiosity got the better of him.

“You can call me Master.”

Youji frowned. The collar had been impossible to remove and was currently the only thing he wore. “I'll call you Clark then.”

“Want me to be your superman?” Oracle asked with an amused chuckle.

“Tell me. I've had to live through years of grouchy Aya already. And the only reason we called him that was because I heard him mumble the name in his sleep. I am so done with not knowing people's names, you have no idea,” Youji ranted.

“You know my name Youji. Really though, call me Master,” the cocky bastard replied.

Youji rolled his eyes. “You need a girlfriend, Brad. Or a dog. So, what's the deal?”

“I say 'sit', you sit. I say 'fetch', you fetch. I tell you to call me 'Master', you _obey_. The other option is a standard indoctrination. You may not like that. Most people don't. Farfarello sure didn't. Not sure about Schuldig, he's a bit of a masochist at times, but I'm pretty sure someone took him under their wing. He's a very pretty boy, after all, and he knows how to use that to get what he wants. Nagi decided I was the lesser evil.” Brad rose from his chair and walked over to stand close to Youji. “Are we clear?”

“Crystal.”

“You know what I want to hear,” Brad singsonged.

Youji glared. “Yes, Master.”

“Good boy,” Brad said softly before going back to his computer.

There was that heady rush again. Did he really have a praise fetish? “So, can I see Aya?”

Oracle chuckled. “Soon. Anything else you'd rather talk about instead of sleeping?”

“Yeah. What's your rank in Eszett? Why does everyone defer to you? Did your pet telepath brainwash Aya? Also, I'd have you pegged as straight.”

“I'm the same rank as Schuldig. Because I can see the future and know what's best for them. No. Interested?”

“What? How does Aya go wandering to that monster voluntarily? There is no way he wasn't influenced somehow.” Youji decided to be hung up on the safest topic.

“Ran is a sweet kid. He has claws, but ultimately he's a sweet and caring person. Being locked up and completely alone messed him up. All Schuldig did was nurse him back to health and hold him. He didn't need convincing.” Oracle pursed his lips. “I'm no saint, but that was a shitty thing to do. I punished Nagi once by leaving him to walk back on his own and that was over the top. You didn't even question once what had happened to your teammate – even weeks later. Eszett was looking for him for crying out loud.”

Youji studied his hands. “Yeah, we fucked up good.”

“What bothers me the most is that you allowed Omi to play you.”

“Omi?”

“Mm. Innocent kid, isn't he? He turned you phones off. Ever wonder why?”

Youji glared. Omi wouldn't. Would he?

“I'll tell you one thing, he's not afraid of getting scolded.”

“You have our place bugged,” Youji realized.

Oracle gave him a level look. “Of course I do. I'm not a rookie.”

Youji sighed.

“Go to sleep, I'm not telling you again.”

“This is so fucked up.”

Oracle looked at him as if he expected something.

“Yes, Master.”

 

 


	19. Know Your Place

The new hideout was a house. A nice house with proper walls instead of that paper nonsense and floors that weren't made of straw mats. There wasn't a bathroom each, but it was close. He snooped around curiously. Sadly, there hadn't been time to look at everything when he had delivered the boxes before.

All the rooms were white with textiles in a specific color. It was typical of Brad, really. He liked things nice and ordered, even if he hated cleaning. Schuldig was green, Farfarello red, Nagi had some sort of purple. Brad was stuck on a tan color. He liked browns and other earthy tones.

Ran had even gotten his own room, and on one level Schuldig was happy because it meant Brad accepted the kitten as an individual, but on another it made him sad. Ran was cuddly when he wanted to be.

Eventually he sneaked into Ran's room and sat on the bed. Brad had gotten Ran blue. Odd choice, but whatever.

“How are you?” he asked the bump under the cover.

“Been better,” Ran said. His voice was muffled, but he clearly was quite sad over his friends not looking for him.

“I'm sorry.”

“Not your fault. For once you're actually the good guy.”

“Oh, shut it.” He burrowed under the cover and wrapped himself around Ran, who calmed down and relaxed in his arms. “Keep that up and you'll ruin my reputation forever, you know.”

He wasn't going to say it, but the emotional roller coaster was fun. He disliked the neutral emotions most people lived with. He preferred the high peaks and abysmal lows. They, at least, weren't boring. Also, Ran preferring his company over Weiss was a nice ego boost. Because his ego did need boosting.

“Pretty sure Weiss and Kritiker will amend that.”

“Mm.”

“Aya's excited about going to university. I'm not sure if I want to punch someone or be grateful.”

“You won't win against Brad,” Schuldig pointed out sensibly.

“Yeah.”

“At least you won't have to worry.” Though he would. “She'll be safe, and we can visit if we have the time, and she can have a normal life. Or as normal as one can have. And no overprotective brother to chase the boyfriends away.”

“She's a lesbian,” Ran huffed.

“What?”

“Yeah.”

“There goes my awesome threesome idea.” Ran started wrestling him then, angry enough to want to fight but not enough to hurt him. It amused Schuldig to no end. “Think about it,” he pleaded between laughing fits, “we could give her a strap-on and share you.”

They fell off the bed with the cover tangled up around them. Ran made a surprised noise when Schuldig tickled him.

“Also, just for your information, your place is in _my_ bed.”

Ran smiled. “Oh?”

“Seeing as I outrank you, you'd better obey too,” Schuldig singsonged. He bent down and kissed Ran on the lips. “You're mine.”

“Ugh! _Gross_ ,” Nagi complain for the doorway. “I thought we could order pizza. What do you guys want?”

“No way,” Schuldig said firmly, “you will not live only on pizza. Don't think I don't know that's all that you've had this week.”

“You're not my mother.”

“Worse, I'm your superior officer,” Schuldig argued. He figured he didn't look it at the moment. He had a blond lock of hair partially blocking his vision and Ran was warm against him.

“We're not having salad,” Nagi pouted.

“You haven't had rice in a week?” Ran asked, appalled by the mere prospect.

Schuldig saw a few shadows then, moving and chattering. The other two were looking at them as well. Nagi was getting scared.

“Can they teleport?” he muttered to himself. He could have sworn there was nothing nearby just recently.

“To each other,” Ran said. “They can't go somewhere where no one is.”

“But they can go to you?” Schuldig guessed.

“I suppose so. Recently anyway,” Ran shrugged.

Schuldig pondered it while more and more of the things gathered. It made his heartbeat speed up enough that he could feel it. He was just about to get Ran and Nagi out when they suddenly left all together.

“You okay?” Ran asked.

“Fine.”

“You looked a little panicked.”

“Did you send them off?” Schuldig asked curiously.

“Yes.”

“How?”

Ran shrugged. “Sometimes they do what I want.”

Nagi looked between both of them. “Yeah, I'm thinking comfort food would be good right now. If I'm going to get eaten tonight because your pet magnet can't control the ghosts my last meal is going to be pizza. You can pull rank all you fucking want.”

“Brad,” Schuldig yelled, “pull rank on the brat!”

“I've ordered Chinese, shut it,” Brad called back.

 

 


	20. Team Up

Ran enjoyed the sunlight and the slightly warm air. He was out walking, trying to get as much exercise in as he could. He had finally managed to run his usual distance that morning without feeling like roadkill afterward. It was a good improvement.

He had been told to pass by _this street_ at _exactly this time_. Brad had simply said he would meet up with someone who they both were friends with. Precognition would never not freak him out a little. It was disturbing that the future was set enough that it could be predicted. He preferred to think of it as a blank sheet of paper, but Brad had said that some actions had reactions, and that those made up the future he could predict.

And just on time -

“Ayan!”

He spun around to see Youji run up to him, a quick glance around told him the others in Weiss thankfully weren't around. He stopped and waited, deciding to see where this was going.

“Hey, hey! Don't run off.”

“I wasn't going to,” Ran said. “What do you want?”

“They let you out on your own?” Youji asked incredulously, a hand on his shoulder to stop him from going anywhere.

Ran scoffed and shook the hand off. “I'm not a prisoner.”

“Can we have coffee then?” Youji looked so pleased to see him, so hopeful. It was nice. It was good to know someone still cared.

Ran shrugged his shoulders and walked to the closest café. He ordered tea and took a seat at a free table.

“You look better now, not as thin as before,” Youji said casually. He had a cup of coffee in front of him. “I'd swear you didn't eat for days at a time.”

“I guess. I could have left at any time.” He just hadn't wanted to leave.

“Why didn't you?”

“And go back to what?”

“Us, dammit!” Youji paused after his outburst. “It really hurt you that we didn't look for you, didn't it?”

“Yes. You wouldn't be happy over that either.”

“I'd be fucking _pissed_ ,” Youji agreed. “That still can't be the only reason. You know as well as I do that we're all a bunch of broken people thrown together because we're expendable.”

“I wanted someone to hug me and none of you three would have. Do you have any idea how much it freaked me out to go back and get stuck in our old routines? I was terrified of being alone in a room full of people. And then there was Schuldig, and he didn't act like he normally did. It wasn't _him_ I saw, it was just some ordinary guy and he was nice to me.” Ran shook his head with a small smile. He got to do less killing, had more free time and he felt safer than he had in years. Weiss had been better once, but they'd never been as cohesive as Schwarz. “I do miss you guys,” he admitted.

“Good, you should. We're friends.”

Ran nodded. “I hear you're friends with Brad too.”

Youji gaped at him, then frowned. “Schuldig?”

“Brad, actually. He sent me here so that I could bump into you. Said you swapped sides, sort of. Never said your name though...”

Youji smiled sheepishly. “I'm, ah, helping him with the whole demon plague... Kritiker washed their hands off it and gave all research to, well, Eszett I assume. Along with me.”

“Funny how you assume I'm kept under duress, but you're the one wearing a collar.” Ran sucked on his bottom lips a little. “I'm supposed to be helping you. So.”

Youji smiled. “Well, I was going to check out some rumors about the subway system... but we're going at night to avoid being seen. There's a closed station just a little bit from here, do you know it?”

Ran nodded. “Mm. We've been there before.”

“Yeah,” Youji grinned. “If all else fails I could start making my own maps of Tokyo to sell to the tourists.”

“' _And here's where twenty bad guys were slaughtered by a group controlled and paid for by the Police._ ' That would go down well.”

Youji snorted a laugh. “Yeah _no_. It would be such an eye-opener, though.”

Ran rolled his eyes. “Ignorance is bliss.”

Youji smiled. “Well, I'm glad you're okay.”

“What did you think?”

“When Schuldig insinuated he had you? God, I thought you were being tortured.” Youji looked sad. “I wasn't sure you'd make it through that.”

“I lost my memory for a bit at first. I thought he was you, I think. I'm not sure. It was a little confusing. It's still a little weird that he's blond now.”

“You thought he was me?”

“I was almost sure he was a teammate. He was nice. Casual, but there was nothing sexual about it, not then.”

“Not then?” Youji asked.

“Well,” Ran said uncomfortably, not sure how Youji might take it.

“Is he forcing you?”

“No!” Ran looked away. “I know it'll sound weird, but he's really sweet.”

Youji shrugged. “I believe you. I know your tells, you're not lying.”

 

 


	21. Oh Dear

It was a relief to work with Aya again, even if Aya had changed. Youji wasn't sure about this new Aya, but he was certainly happier. He talked more, he smiled and he made jokes. Those were good things. He hated Schwarz for making Aya come out of his shell and becoming more human. It should have been Weiss. But if anything they had just managed to hurt Aya worse.

On some level this new Aya also made his skin crawl. Youji could see his purple eyes _glow_ in the dark and that he knew for a fact was not normal. That wasn't something Aya had done before.

“Earth to Youji?” Aya glared, a watered down version of the usual surly glare.

“Yeah. I'm here, I was just thinking,” he replied.

“Stay focused. We don't know what we'll find down here.”

Right. Old tunnel under the subway system. Creepy and abandoned.

Suddenly Aya stopped. “Odd,” he muttered.

The tunnel ended in a dead end. The wall had what looked like a vertical pool of glowing water. It wasn't very big, perhaps a meter across.

“We have to open it up so they can return, it's locked to one way,” Aya mumbled while he examined the whirlpool.

“Yeah well, this is out of my league. How can you even tell? Did you take a crash course in this? Does Eszett offer Supernatural 101?” Youji walked closer. He didn't dare touch the thing, but just holding his hand close to it felt like he was touching electricity.

Aya actually touched it, his fingers following a swirl. “No. I'ven been in your head though. Schuldig took me on a trip... so to speak. See how the gate keeps swirling like a whirlpool? It should be still.”

“Gate?” Youji spun around when he saw a shadow move. There were a lot of shadowy, transparent creatures. All of them small, like... Like children. He still wasn't over what he had seen in that morgue. He swallowed hard, these were the demons that had possessed children all over Tokyo and they were suddenly swarming. “Aya?”

“Leave them alone, they just want to see if we can fix it,” Aya cautioned. “They won't attack if you don't.”

“Why would we be able to fix this?”

Aya sighed. “Well, not you, obviously. Shut up and let me work.”

Youji knew when Aya had gotten it right (or perhaps wrong) because there was a sudden bright light that blinded him, followed by a blast that knocked him into a wall hard enough to make him black out.

 

* * *

 

Youji came to in a bed. Again – not his bed.

“I paired the two of you up because I figured you could cover more ground. I did not pair you up so that you could pick a fight and nearly get yourselves killed,” Brad bit out through clenched teeth.

“Where am I?”

“My room. You've only been out four hours,” Brad answered. He was sloppier than Youji had assumed. He'd almost assumed the guy would be some type of OCD case. The fancy suits and controlled body language spoke in favor of that theory.

“It didn't seem so bad when we went down there,” Youji said quietly. “We were just checking things out. Everything was calm right up until the end.”

“I might not come rescue you next time,” Brad said in a more neutral voice.

“Is Aya okay?” Youji rose up and stretched.

“As okay as one can be while in interrogation.”

“Oh...”

Brad was suddenly standing very close, and Youji had to look up to meet his eyes. It was an uncommon thing for him. Brad traced the collar with a finger. “I should punish you.”

“I don't like being punished.”

“Then you should be more obedient to start with,” Brad said. Youji lost himself for a while in imagining just how awful it was going to be. He was not a huge fan of being in pain. “I think, for now, you have enough bruises on you already,” Brad said, almost regretfully.

Youji exhaled in relief. They were still so close he felt the foreigner's body heat.

“It'll be a while until Schuldig brings Ran back,” Brad said. “Go to bed.”

“Why aren't you wearing your glasses?”

“Contacts,” Brad said, then left the room.

Youji went back to bed. He swore softly because his back hurt like a bitch, and so did the back of his head. He dozed off after perhaps an hour, then woke almost completely when Brad climbed into the bed.

Youji told his brain that feeling safer because Brad was there was stupid.

 

 


	22. What Have You Done

Ran watched Schuldig pace. “The Possessed Children are all immune to death,” Schuldig said.

“I know,” Ran said in a bored tone. Eszett had chosen Schuldig to interrogate him because they felt that he would have a better chance reaching Ran, and well, the others were scared of him. He wasn't sure he felt good or bad about Eszett fearing the redhead.

“If someone shot you in the head, would you die?”

“No.”

Schuldig swallowed. Ran looked steadily at him. “Look,” Schuldig said softly, “I'm the last person to judge you. I'm a freak of nature myself. Work with me here.”

“I wasn't born like this. There is nothing natural about what I am.” Ran frowned. “Kritiker has tried to kill me for years, I think.”

“Why?”

“They were afraid. I don't blame them for that, I'm scared too.”

Schuldig nodded. “Sometimes you scare me, and that's no easy task...”

Ran tested his bonds, but still couldn't get out of them.

“Youji said you opened a gate?”

Ran smiled softly. “Repaired. They lied though. They said they couldn't get home through it, but...”

“You opened it so they could get here?”

“Yes.”

Schuldig sat down on the table in front of him. He knew he looked torn. Scared. Nothing like the cocky guy he usually was. “What will happen now?”

Ran smiled.

 

 


	23. A Solution

His life was more twisted than usual, and Youji had led a weird double life for years. He had been a florist, for crying out loud. Life did not get much weirder than that. Being accosted by minors who used their store as a hangout was weird. Kids didn't do that. There was a million things wrong with everything regarding that flower shop and Youji would bet a kidney that Kritiker was up to some shit.

Well, life didn't get weirder until Brad Crawford decided to make him into a pet. Youji sometimes worried over where his life was headed.

“How is this my life?” he asked the world in general when he rose up from bed. Naked. Because Brad didn't like him wearing clothes. He could sort of see the point, he knew he looked good. Youji followed his nose to the kitchen where he could smell delicious food being cooked.

“Aya?” he asked dumbly.

Schuldig was perched on the counter next to the stove. The telepath raised an eyebrow at Youji. “Why do you have him wearing a collar? He's not a dog.”

“He's my bitch,” Brad said.

Aya laughed at that. The traitor.

“Very funny,” Youji muttered. But Aya was cooking some mouthwatering things, and Youji would forgive him anything just because he was Aya anyway.

“Got him neutered yet?” Schuldig asked, evil gleam in his eyes.

Youji rolled his eyes. When Brad pointed to a chair he debated refusing, but with the general turn of the conversation he would likely end up begging for scraps on the floor if he got on Brad's bad side.

“Ran is going to try to get in touch with the little buggers,” Schuldig said as if he was discussing the weather.

“You think you can do that?” Brad asked Aya.

“Yes,” Aya answered in a bored monotone. He plated whatever he had been cooking and served himself and Youji while Schuldig took his own plate and Brad's.

Youji poked the food. “What is this?”

“Eggs,” Aya told him. “And that metal thing your holding is called a fork.”

“This doesn't look like eggs. I'm pretty sure eggs are not supposed to be green.”

Schuldig snickered. “I may have forced the cook to add some food color.”

“We should call you MasterChef,” Aya said playfully.

Youji tried the concoction and decided that green scrambled eggs weren't half bad.

After breakfast, and thankfully after Youji was dressed like a normal person, Brad took them to the super secret Eszett lab again. This time Youji wasn't drugged for the trip, but he wondered if that wasn't because Aya was around.

Schuldig and Aya separated from them and went somewhere alone.

A smartly dressed woman walked up to Brad and started discussing results of some kind of tests. Youji tried to pay attention, but it was way above his understanding. They used an annoying amount of abbreviations and fancy words.

“Mr Crawford, we have everything ready for today's experiment,” Schuldig's voice said over a PA system.

The woman nodded toward Brad and left.

Youji was then led to a room with a wall that was made up of one-way mirrors by Brad. He could see a veritable sea of little demons in the connected room. In the middle of them was Aya.

“Is he safe? You're just going to put up a welcome sign, or what?” Youji asked.

“Aren't your legs getting tired from jumping to conclusions?” Schuldig huffed. “Are you going to help them, kitty cat?” he then asked into a microphone.

“Let me focus,” Aya sighed.

Youji did not like the smug smirk on Brad's face.

“You know what will happen, don't you?” Youji asked Brad.

“I can see a little glimpse of the future, not the entirety of it.”

“Bullshit,” Youji whispered.

Brad raised his eyebrows.

“You know what's going to happen.” Youji turned to look at Aya instead, who was uncharacteristically still.

“So worried for your friend, Balinese.”

“Someone has to be.”

“He'll be fine,” Schuldig said.

 

 


	24. Nothing Is For Free

Schuldig didn't like the little buggers. They had tricked Ran once already, so when Ran focused and cleared his mind Schuldig took over. The raw power at the tip of his tongue intrigued him. They were all connected, all the little demons were connected to Ran.

He had been controlling enough different talents that he could quickly get a feel for how to work Ran's. He would have smirked, had he not been so deep in another person's mind. Ran could drain them all of their energy. That would kill them.

So much information, so few shields.

He went with what he felt would be best and triggered the talent. Ran didn't need to be controlled while it happened, so he retreated and watched the spectacle. So many little demons going poof so quickly.

Schuldig did smirk then. “It's happening,” he told Brad. And then something else happened. Ran turned invisible, then flickered back to visible only to disappear again. His clothes falling in a heap on the floor.

That wasn't according to plan.

Schuldig tried to stay calm, but he couldn't.

He felt a whisper of something against his face. A solid hand pressed into his. Schuldig knew who it was. He still had a link, he still heard the thoughts. He had expected anger, not forgiveness.

Everything felt real, physical, when he hugged Ran even though he wasn't sure what the others saw. The texture wasn't skin, it was more like water or jelly if those had been more solid and warm. Well, he was headed for the loony bin anyway sooner or later when Eszett got tired of him.

“ _I love you._ ” So now Ran could use his mental voice?

“I love you too,” Schuldig whispered. “I'm sorry.”

“ _You did what you thought would be best._ ”

Schuldig traced his fingers all over Ran's head. “You're warm.”

“ _They were always warm too._ ”

“Schuldig?” Brad asked gently, but it was Ran who kissed away a tear from his cheek.

“I think I turned Ran into a -” Schuldig hesitated, “whatever they are.”

“ _They're gone, all of them._ ”

“All?”

“ _All._ ”

“Ran says they're all gone.”

Brad looked curiously on. He stepped closer and touched Ran. “Ah, there you are Kitten.”

“If he's a ghost,” Youji mused, “should we worry?”

Brad shook his head. “No, I don't think so. He's just a little different.”

Schuldig laughed brokenly, still trying to get his emotions to be more stable and failing.

 

 


	25. My Pet Demons

Brad wasn't surprised when Schuldig started clinging to him. He had expected some backlash from what had happened to Ran. Schuldig looked healthy, just miserable. What surprised him were the claw marks. “He can hurt you?”

Schuldig looked at a scratch and smiled. “If I close my eyes, it's almost like before. It's still Ran. I can _feel_ him, he's just invisible to the naked eye.”

“And he can walk through walls if he wants to. So why the marks?”

Schuldig placed his hands on Brad where the marks were on his own body. Brad sighed wearily when Schuldig smirked and moved against him suggestively. Surprise failed to happen.

“You _would_ fuck a ghost. I still don't like that he hurts you.”

“He wants to show people I'm taken. I kind of like it that he's possessive. They're not deep.” Schuldig hugged him tight. “Besides, he can turn visible sometimes. He just says it's draining and that he needs an energy source.”

“Sometimes I wonder about all this... He said something happened when he was a child, right?”

“Yeah.”

“What if he's been like this for a while now?” Brad had toyed with that idea for a long time. “What if this isn't a new development? He didn't seem all that chocked.”

Schuldig nodded. “True. He said it's a merge. That the personalities merge.”

“ _They_ weren't chocked either, then.” Brad hesitated. “Perhaps this was what they wanted all along.”

“Why, though?” Schuldig whispered.

Brad mulled it over while he studied the people milling around. The base was manned around the clock, but there was more activity now that they had significantly more data about the possessions to process. The answer was obvious, and yet it was easy to overlook.

“Ran can talk. The telepath they possessed, the normals, none of them talked well. Some repeated nonsense, like asking for their parents, but they never actually communicated. Ran can talk.”

“He's shit at interacting -”

“That's probably not him. That's _them_. That's their quirk. What if he was just a regular kid before?”

“Why would they want to merge with him? His personality is dominant to theirs. He hasn't changed any. They essentially die.” Schuldig had a lock of his hair in his mouth, which made his speech sound like mumbling.

Brad smirked. “I have an idea. Can you summon him? I need to talk to him.”

Schuldig zoned out and Brad waited. He liked working with people who followed his orders.

“He'll come to your office.” Schuldig gave him a warning look.

“Thank you,” Brad squeezed Schuldig's shoulder as he left. “I'll bring him back in one piece. Go help Nagi – I'll take a while.”

He went to his office and Schuldig obediently went to the room Nai was working in. Brad didn't have to wait for Ran. He felt a weight against his back and arms going around his waist as soon as he was in the drab room.

“Hello there, kitten. You need something to feed from, an energy source, don't you?”

“Yes.” Ran sounded the same as ever. Talking, much like turning visible, hadn't been an instant thing. Right after he had absorbed the demons he had only been able to communicate via Schuldig.

“What did you use before?” Brad asked even though he knew how this would play out.

“People I was sent to kill.”

Brad smirked. “Well, I have just the thing.”

Ran nuzzled him. “What?”

“Something that needs to be killed.”

He led Ran down to the lower levels of the base, until he was forced to find a higher ranking officer to allow him and Ran access to the lowest level.

The heavy door opened for them, revealing a large room that seemed empty save for a circular light in the middle. It was an energy shield, and it held the creature the Elders had summoned.

“Can you work with that?” Brad asked.

Ran had a steel grip around his bicep. “Yeah.”

 

 


End file.
